Under Her Wing
by rjano
Summary: After visiting a coffee shop on Main Street, Jax meets Mina who quickly becomes his guiding light in the turmoil that has become his life with Tara and Clay's arrest. Loosely based on Season 6.
1. Chapter 1

Hey Everyone! I've been trying to post this all weekend but I finally managed too. I don't know what was going on with the doc manager but better late than never. I'm not going to post this story daily because my focus is still on That Was Then, This is Now but I'm having fun with this one.

Let me know what you think!

As always I only own My OC and story plot.

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><p>Another day, another dollar to be earned at this stupid job, but paying off bullshit debts was a bit more important than chasing dreams at the moment. Mina made her way to the lockers shoving her bag in and pulling out the red apron with her name on it. She slipped it on over her fitted black v-neck before looping the rope around her thin waist and tying it in the back. She made sure she grabbed her phone, tucking it into the back pocket of her skinnies before walking to the restroom to tie her long brown hair with caramel highlights up in a high ponytail. She knew how much shit she'd get if a hair was found in a drink or bakery item. She left her bangs out sweeping them to the side over her eyes before looking at herself in the mirror. She took a deep breath, stood up straight, and plastered a smile on her face before heading out to the front for her 12 hour shift.<p>

"Mina, you're late." Her bitch of a boss made it a point to call her out every time.

"I know Matt. I'm sorry. I had to walk and it took longer than expected." She said in the sweetest voice possible, usually did the trick with him.

"Yeah yeah, you're on register duty." He said giving in to her smile.

She nodded and made her way over. Her co-worker Jake seemed way too preoccupied to even acknowledge her so she jumped straight to work. Putting her number into the register and taking orders for him to make.

XXX

After returning from county, Jax found himself more angry than anything else. She'd once again refused to see him. His only form of communication with her was through her lawyer. She'd told him that Tara was convinced Gemma was the one to call the police on her. Apparently she'd threatened her a few days prior.

He had her meet him at a coffee shop on Main Street. Holding the door open for his mother, the older woman walked in making her way in line with him following. The place was busy for a Wednesday afternoon, but they couldn't have this conversation with everyone else listening in. If Gemma had ratted on Tara, they'd have to deal with her, but he needed to know for sure.

Finally making it to the front of the line, Gemma looked over the young brunette at the register. She could see right through the girls fake smile and laughed to herself.

"Long day, sweetheart?" she asked the girl.

The girl's smile actually turned genuine as she laughed. "Is it that obvious?"

The older lady smiled and shrugged her shoulder. "Nobody smiles that hard taking coffee orders."

The girl laughed and nodded. "Got me there. What can I get for you, Ma'am?"

Gemma shook her head. "Nobody calls me Ma'am just call me Gemma."

She nodded "What can I get for you Gemma?"

After giving the woman her order, Gemma moved to the side to let Jax order as well. Jax's eyes wandered over the small woman behind the register. Placing his order, he watched her intently as she wrote the order on the cup, placing it aside and rang them up.

"Anything else I can get for you sir?" she soft voice sounded so familiar. As did her ear to ear smile that accentuated her cheekbones.

"Jax, darlin' and no that's it." He gave his best panty dropping smile. "I feel like I've seen you before..Mina." he stated, his eyes on her nametag before looking back into hers.

She laughed softly and shrugged. "Can't imagine when. I haven't been here for long."

He couldn't help but smile at her laugh, it was the first real laugh he'd heard in a long time.

The customer behind him in line cleared his throat and Jax shot him a look before turning to face Mina who was rolling her eyes and smiling at him.

"Thanks, darlin'" he gave her a wink before grabbing their cups and heading over to the table Gemma was seated at.

Noticing the interaction between the two, Gemma nodded her head towards the girl "See something you like?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

Jax sat down across from her, handing her a coffee cup. "I swear I've seen her before. Just the face and voice sound so familiar but I can't pinpoint it."

Gemma took a sip of her coffee and focused her eyes back on him. "Might be good to keep your options open Jackson. Who knows how long she's going to be in for. You go see her today?"

He shook his head at his mother audacity. "She's my wife, Ma." He said pointing out his wedding ring. "Yeah, I went, she still didn't want to see me. Had an interesting talk with Lowen though."

She put her cup down and cocked her eyebrows. "Oh yeah? Bout what?"

He leaned forward in his seat, his voice lowering slightly. "Did you threaten to turn in Tara if she took that job in Oregon?"

Gemma's eyebrows flew to up. "Guess she finally talked to you."

Jax nodded and watched her closely as a smirk crawled on her face. "Answer the question."

"Of course not. I mean yeah. I may have said something about if she didn't.."

"Jesus Christ!" he threw his hands up in the air.

"I was trying to scare her smart! But Jackson, you know I would never got to the cops. You know that. It's Wendy that's got Tara..." she pushed on but he had heard enough.

"Don't change the goddamn subject! God, Mom what is it with you always stirring shit up between Tara and I?!"

She did have a point. His mother would be the last person to ever go to the cops, but he also knew how far she'd be willing to go to make sure Tara didn't leave with the boys. He sighed and leaned back in his seat.

XXX

Finally the place quieted down and Mina went to clean the tables. She grabbed a rag and started wiping them down, throwing away trash. She got to the table that Gemma and Jax were at and smiled at the two, "Can I get rid of anything for you guys?"

Both turned their attention to her and Jax's smile spread across his face. As much as he loved his wife, the thought of keeping his options open was definitely in the back of his mind.

"Here you go sweetheart." Gemma spoke up as she handed the young woman her empty cup, her eyes shifting to her son who seemed to be mute just staring at her.

"Jax, done with your coffee?" Mina smiled turning her attention to him.

The sound of his name coming from her sounded so sweet but broke him out of his trance. "Uh, yeah. I'm done."

She smiled softly at him, grabbing his coffee cup. "Guess, I'll see you around."

Jax watched her walk off and licked his bottom lip slowly. The things he could do to her. His phone rang interrupting his thoughts. The expression on his face changed and he nodded his head towards the doors. "We gotta go, something happened to Lyla."

XXX

Jax and Gemma headed to Diosa where they found Lyla burned, cut up, and beaten.

"Jesus Christ, What happened?" He ran up to her wrapping his arms around her.

"Jax I don't know!" she mumbled sobbing in his arms. "I want Opie! God, I want Opie!"

After calming her down she finally managed to tell them about the torture porn gig she got from Ima. They needed to take care of that. This was one of their own girls. Against Nero's advice to stop by Charlie Barosky's first, they went straight to the warehouse where the gig was being held. The bastards were still filming with two new girls who were in the same shape as Lyla. They were almost able to handle everything calmly but the younger of the two Iranian brothers pulled out a gun and the older one got away. Right as they were about to walk out with the money and weed. They were ambushed by cops.

XXX

Jax and Nero met with Barosky and Collette as part of their deal. They agreed upon a partnership to make it work. Collette was definitely good to look at. Older but nonetheless sexy.

"Three way split." He spoke up after she let them know why she needed this.

Collette nodded her head in agreement. "Housing and Charlie's fees."

"Housing," Nero pipped in. "Charlie's fees comes out of your cut."

"Fine." She agreed. "You should come check out the house. Meet the girls."

"I have to go see my kid, but another time." He shook her hand before getting up.

Collette turned her attention to him "I see a ring on your finger but not his."

Jax let out a laugh drinking some of his coffee. "He's with someone. Trust me, you do not want to rock that boat.

"And what about you're old lady?" She asked leaning closer to Jax. "She okay with your line of work."

Jax finished his coffee and was silent for a moment. "I need to head out but I'll stop by later tonight to check out the place."

XXX

Mina was left alone for the closing shift. Of course Matt had asked her to stay and close. She looked out the window's at the darkness of the street and sighed. Another hour to go she told herself as she started sweeping up the shop. It was usually pretty dead around this time and she liked it that way. She wasn't a loner by any means but whatever alone time she could get she cherished.

She tried calling her sister again and again it went to voicemail. "UGH!" she grunted as she hung up and texted her sister again. "I hope you know this is the last time you're borrowing my car. You always pull this shit." She shoved her phone in her pocket as soon as she heard the door chimes. She walked back to the front wiping her hands on her apron to see who it was, when there in front of her stood the blonde from earlier.

"Jax was it? What can I get for you?" She smiled again stepping behind the register. His smirk drove her crazy as she took his order down. "Late night caffeine craving?"

He laughed and leaned against the counter on his arms watching her work while she made his coffee. "Something like that." His eyes wandered her body but were stuck on her smile. He knew that smile. He loved that smile. It was something so warm and comforting. Genuine.

"Jax?" She asked noticing him staring. "Here you go, hun"

He smiled at her and nodded his head towards the tables. "Join me?"

She looked around the empty shop and shrugged her shoulders, "I mean, it's so busy, I wouldn't want to get in trouble." They both laughed and she made herself a cup of coffee walking to the table with him.

He stared looked her over again. The features of her face more defined now that she was actually in front of him. She was gorgeous with her tan skin, her defined cheekbones and dimples, pink lips, and those big eyes with long lashes her long chocolate brown hair seemed to shine with her caramel highlights looked soft to the touch. Everything. And he meant everything about this girl from her looks to her personality seemed like home. He smiled at her and took a sip of his coffee. "So where were you before Charming? Hearing a slight accent from you."

She sat back in her chair watching his movements, the way he continuously played with his SONS rings, the way his chiseled face seemed burdened with worry. She shrugged after taking another sip. "Take your pick, I'm from Georgia, went to school in Boston, did a semester in Ireland, lived with my sister in Washington, then when my grandma passed, she left her house to my sister and I so we packed up and moved here."

Jax nodded listening intently "Quite an impressive resume you got there, huh?" Mina laughed in agreement but then it dawned on Jax that she'd mentioned she had been in Ireland. "What part of Ireland were you in?"

"Belfast, I have this shitty little apartment with my best friend but it was cool, we had a cute little convenience store across the street and a bar around the corner from it." Mina smiled, reminiscing on the times they had at that bar.

Jax's eyes widened and he hit the table with his hands, startling her she looked up at him. "That's where I've seen you!" he exclaimed, finally figuring it out.

Jax had just spoken with Gemma after getting caught in the office with Trinity. She had told him everything about how her father was seeing Maureen on his trips to Belfast and how she'd just found out that he had another child with Maureen. He was pissed, but he was more mad about the fact that he almost crossed into Tig territory had they come in a few minutes later.

After the talk he saw Trinity restocking the fridge and walked over to make light of the obviously awkward situation. She'd been pretty cool about it, for just finding out she had a brother. It was nice having another sibling.

But then she walked in. The bubbly brunette with the most perfect figure he'd ever seen. He needed to get to know her. Hell what he need was some stress relief but he'd settle.

He'd heard her talking to Maureen and from what he got, they were close enough to where she understood what "club business" meant. When he approached, she smiled up at him with the sweetest smile he'd ever seen, he was so fascinated with this girl he'd only been near for a few minutes.

"Mina, this is Jax. He's visiting from California. Jax, this is Mina." Maureen introduced the two. Mina smiled again at him, it was so tempting to kiss her but he had to stop thinking with his dick for once. "Nice to meet you." was all she said and he knew she wasn't from there.

"You too darlin'. Well looks like you ain't from here either." he smirked looking her up and down again.

Her soft laugh made him lick his lips watching her. "Didn't mean to be that obvious about it." She smiled at him before turning her attention to Maureen again, "I should get going. Gonna have a pretty cranky roommate if I'm not back with some milk soon. Thanks Maureen." She turned to look at Jax and there was that seductive smile again. "See you around, Jax" was the last thing she said before she walked out the door. He had never been blown off like that. Especially not when he was actually trying to make conversation., but he couldn't help but be more turned on.

Mina looked up confused. "What?"

He laughed, "I was in Belfast. You were the girl that was always at Ashby's.

Mina's eyes widened as well. She couldn't believe she hadn't realized it. Well of course he looked much younger then, but his blonde hair and blue eyes should have stuck out immediately. "Oh. My. God. You're Trinity's brother!" She laughed and covered her mouth with her hand.

He laughed and nodded "I'm guessing she told you?"

Mina lowered her head in her hands onto the table laughing. "You'd be surprised how much I know. What are the chances huh?"

He smiled despite his red face but her laugh was so contagious. "Can I ask you something?"

She took another sip and nodded, looking up in his eyes. "I'm guessing you know about the Sons since you were around Maureen so much in Belfast." he watched her nod and continued. "How much do you know?"

Mina looked at his sweet face which had turned serious and leaned forward onto the table, she looked down thinking back before looking up into his eyes. "Honestly?" he nodded. "Enough."

"What's enough?" He asked leaning forward as well.

"Enough to know there's a lot more that goes on behind that cut besides motorcycle trade shows and charity rides." she looked at him with a smile. "Don't worry, Pres." She nodded her head down to his patch "But, this girl knows a thing of two about keeping her mouth shut."

He smirked and nodded. It was so tempting to close the short gap to her lips. He couldn't help but find that even more attractive. "Good to know" He whispered.

She smiled at him and sat back up. "Don't mean to kick you out, but it's closing time sweetie."

He stood up and nodded looking up at the time. "How you gettin' home? It's pretty late."

She pulled out her phone seeing no missed calls from Adrianna, returning her eyes back to Jax. "Looks like I'm walkin' tonight."

He shook his head and stepped closer to her. "Nah that's not safe. I'll give you a lift."

She looked up at him and rubbed her arm. "You sure it's not an inconvenience." He shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile. "Alright, have a seat I should be done in a few minutes."

He did as he was told, watching her as she finished sweeping and wiping down the tabletops. She moved so swiftly and gracefully. Something about it was so domestic, so peaceful. It eased his mind with everything else going on. After counting the register and head to the back, he watched her come out from the back with her long hair down in soft waves and her side swept bangs that all framed her face so beautifully. And there was that smile again. He stood up as she approached him, placing his hand on the small of her back, leading her out the door. She locked the door behind them before walking up to his bike.

"You ever ridden on one of these before?" He asked handing her a helmet.

"This isn't my first rodeo." She smirked and winked at him before sliding onto the back.

He smirked at her comment, his mind couldn't help but wander to what she meant but he adjusted himself forward on the seat as she swung a leg over. Her arms wrapped around his waist as her body pressed against his. She laid her head on the back of his shoulder as he took off. Even with the wind he could still smell the sweet scent of her hair and it drove him crazy. She gave him the directions and even though she lived pretty close by, he made sure to take his time, taking the longer route. He wanted to enjoy the peacefulness of this ride as long as possible. Mina slide off the bike and strapped off her helmet handing it back to him. He felt his body missing her touch as she got off the bike, taking the helmet from her placing it on his own head. He checked out the street, looking at all the big houses with fresh cut lawns including hers.

"Thank you, Jax. " She smiled still standing by his bike.

"Not a problem, darlin'. You live in this big ass house by yourself?' He nodded towards the house.

She brushed her bangs out of her hair looking back at the house before looking down at him. "No" she shook her head, " 2 family home. My sister, Addy, lives on the first floor, I live on the top."

His phone rang and he saw Collette's number flash on the screen. Mina smiled up at him taking a step back up on one of the stairs. "President's job is never done. I'll see you around, Jax."

"You sure will. Goodnight, Mina" he smiled at her and waited until she walked inside before taking off.

XXX

Mina walked inside the house, locking the front entrance behind her when her sister's door opened. "A Son Mina? Really?" She asked with her arms folded over her chest.

Adrianna was always the more conservative of the two. After the chaos their own family had caused them, she always tried to keep any unwanted drama away from her and her sister. That included the MC. She'd heard all about them from back home. There was no way her baby sister would bring that kind of shit to this house. Mina sighed unlocking her door before leaning against the doorframe. "Relax Addy, it was a ride home. You don't answer the fucking phone remember?"

Adrianna shook her head and sighed. "I got busy. I'm sorry. But you need to stay away from those guys."

"Drop it Addy, I'm damn near 30, I think I can make my own decisions." She walked into her house, slamming the door shut behind her.

XXX

Jax met up with Collette at the Stockton whore house. The place looked pretty legit. Nice furniture, complimentary bar, rooms full of people. He asked her a few business questions but this broad was laying it on hard. He was getting ready to leave when his phone rang and he saw Lowen's number.

"Yeah?" he asked making his way towards the door. "Jax, I wanted to tell you this in person." Lowen stated over the phone. "What, what's going on?" his voice raised with concern. "Tara. She doesn't want you at the hearing tomorrow. Said she wants to do it alone. I'm sorry." Jax looked around in disbelief. First she wouldn't let him see her, how she wants to go through the hearing alone? This was bullshit. He hung up on Lowen and sat down on the sofa unable to wrap his head around the whole thing.

Collette came by with a basket of laundry. "I thought you were leaving?"

Jax looked up at her resting his head on his hand. "I was."

She sat down next to him, still holding the basket. "You know I listen just as well as I suck dick." He just stared at her.

"Wife or kids?" She pushed on. "Come on. I could use some help. Housework really centers my chi." she smiled at him and lead him upstairs.

Jax watched the her intently as she moved around the room, laying the sheets on the bed. She was almost as graceful as Mina in her movements. Mina, god she was so beautiful. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her all day. Collette watched him staring and walked up to him, placing a hand on his cheek. When he laid his head against her hand, she kneeled down in front of him, removing his shoes. He continued to watch her. He hadn't been shown half as much attention from Tara in quite some time. He stood Collette up in front of him kissing her with need. He did need her. Needed to feel like he wasn't the scum of the earth for everything that was going on in his life. She was just the person to do that.

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><p>I want to move this along rather fast. I want to focus on building up Jax and Mina since a lot of season six happens really quickly.<p>

Comments and Suggestions are always welcome. This is still rather fresh and I think it has a lot of potential.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! I'm glad everyone seems to like it so far! I hope I don't disappoint. Again, the story starts off rather slow between Mina and Jax just to let their attraction build towards one another, ontop of everything else going on in Jax's world.

I am finishing up That Was Then, This is Now. Since I post daily, the last chapter will be posted on Friday! For now, I don't know how regularly I'll be posting new chapters for this. My goal is to be able to write ahead this week so I can start posting daily by next week. I hate waiting for stories to update so I want to make sure I'm able to do the daily updates for ya'll! Just bare with me for a little bit :)

Let me know what you think! You don't even know how much it motivates me hearing your ideas and suggestions!

As always, I only own my OC's and story plot.

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><p>At 5am the blaring sound of Mina's alarm clock was heard throughout the house. Although she pressed the snooze a couple time, it was time to get up. As slowly as possible, she jumped out of bed and jumped in the shower to get ready for her day. She had the opening shift at the shop with Matt and she could not handle any bitching today. She pulled her hair into a high ponytail, leaving her side swept bangs down. She pulled on a pair of dark wash distressed jeans and a plain white vneck with combat boots. She grabbed her grey leather jacket and her purse heading out the door to her blacked out dodge charger.<p>

Pulling into a parking spot she got out walking inside where Matt was already counting the money.

"Oh look who decided to get to work early" He glanced up at her before continuing his count.

"Yeah, Morning." She mumbled as she made her way to the back to take off her jacket and pull on her apron. She heard customers start to come in and ran out to the front. Making drink after drink as Matt took the orders. She hated working with him. He was always such an asshole and never picking up the slack.

About an hour or two after Rachel came to work and her workload eased up. Mornings were brutal at the shop and if she was stuck with him any longer she might just quit. She heard the door chimes and looked up to see the familiar blonde hair and a smile crept across her face. Without him waiting in line, she made him a cup of coffee, telling Rachel she'd be right back and stepping around the register walking up to him.

"Hey you, I made your regular." She smiled handing him his cup.

Jax was completely caught off guard by the notion and the widest smile came across his face. "Thanks darlin'" he took the cup and went to pull out his wallet but she put her hand up to stop him.

"It's on the house, least I can do for the ride home last night." She smiled

The heard the TV's volume get louder as they heard the news talk about the school shooting that just occurred at a local middle school.

Mina's hands flew to cover her mouth as the whole store went silent watching the screen in horror. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed and Jax's eyes shot down to her, instinctively putting an arm around her holding her close to him. It was strange the urgency he felt to comfort her.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. Did you know any of them?" He asked seeing her eyes getting watery.

She shook her head no before looking up at him. "They're just kids, Jax. How does a little kid get his hands on a gun like that?"

He sighed and pulled her in for a hug. Her small arms wrapping around him and he felt complete. Centered even. Deep down this is why he came in. He loved the feeling she gave him and knowing he'd be seeing Tara today, this was just what he needed. It still amazed him how this girl he'd just met the day prior could make him feel all these things. But he didn't want to fight it.

Mina heard her name being called and looked over to see a irritated manager looking at her from behind the register. She wiped her eyes and looked up at Jax with an annoyed smile. "I gotta get back." She nodded.

Jax glared at her manager with a threatening look before turning his attention to her. "Yeah. I should get going"

She gave his hand a squeeze before walking backward still facing him. "Be safe Jax. I'll see you around." She turned to go back towards the counter.

Rachel gave her friend a soft nudge on the arm and a wink after watching the interaction between the two. "Mina Noelle Viera, are you seeing Jax Teller?!"

Mina laughed and continued making the order. "God, No! One: He's married and Two: You know Addy would killll me!" The girls laughed as Matt shot them a warning look.

XXX

Jax showed up to the courthouse to pick up Tara after her hearing. Enough was enough. He was tired of her ignoring him, he needed to see her. His mind was racing on the school shooting. Those were their guns. How did it end up in the hands of an 11 year old boy? God they'd be in so much shit. Yet instead of being stressed, his mind wandered to Mina. The care she had for people she didn't know but also the warmth of her touch as she had her arms wrapped around him. It was the same feeling he'd gotten the night before when she drove him home. He grew to miss that feeling whenever he wasn't near her.

He was broken out of his thoughts when the doors opened and Tara came outside. Without a word spoken he handed her a helmet before strapping his on and heading for the house where his mother was waiting with the boys. When they entered the house, her whole demeanor changed. She seemed to soften and was immediately greeted by the overjoyed kids.

He noticed the awkward interaction between his mother and his wife but Tara's focus was solely on the boys. Gemma watched Tara with the kids before pulling her son to the kitchen to let him know about Nero's problem with the school shooting.

"What?" he folded his arms watching his mother pace.

"Something went down with Nero's crew. He's coming by." she answered, putting her hands on her hips.

"What? Now?" He couldn't believe she'd invite him over knowing he needed time with Tara.

"Yeah," She scrunched her face."Sorry."

"What happened?"

"It's about that school shooting this morning."

Jaxs eyes widened. He know this would blow back on them. He shook his head and walked back to the living room where Tara and the boys were to pull Tara aside. They walked into the bathroom and he could see her demeanor change again. He tried to give her a hug but although she hugged him back, it was standoffish and cold. Maybe it was from being in jail but he was sensing this distance for a long time now.

XXX

Mina got out of work at 3. She was exhausted and all she wanted to do was go home and nap before anything else. She walked down the street to her car and an all too familiar figure was leaning against it.

She rolled her eyes and dug her keys out of her bag as she approached. "Get off my car asshole." She tried to reach for her door handle but the 6 foot figure blocked her.

"Can you just stop and talk to me? Please Mina." His deep voice pleaded but she just shook her head.

"Nothing to talk about Chris. Now get out of my way before I kick you in the balls so hard you'll be tasting your own children." She cocked an eyebrow cocking her head to the side before smiling bitterly.

"Mina, babe, I can make this right. Come on, how are you going to throw all those years down the drain for this?" He tried to put his hands on her arms but she swatted him away with a laugh.

"Chris, unless you can unstick your dick in your ex, there's nothing you can do to make this right." She pushed him out of the way and got in her car, rolling down the window after putting on her aviators, "This better be the last time I see you."

Mina ran up the stairs of her house banging on her sisters front door. She was livid that her sister would let that scumbag know where she was working. Adrianna opened the door in a robe and a cup of coffee and Mina barged in.

"I can't believe you! I cannot fucking believe you Addy! I specifically told you NOT to tell Chris where I was working. He was at my goddamn car when I got out!" She waved her arms in the air as she paced back and forth.

Adrianna sighed and sat on the arm of the couch watching her sister. The girl had a temper but it wasn't usually directed at her. "Mina I'm sorry. I am. He just looked so broken and he was groveling. I had no choice!"

"No choice?! Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Mina stepped closer to her sister.

"Mina, just give the guy another chance. He loves you. He really does." Her sister spoke in a low soothing tone. She knew how to calm her little sister but she knew she deserved this.

Mina stepped up to stand in front of her sitting sister, looking down in her eyes. "If you think it's best for me to give my lying, cheating, piece of shit ex another chance - than I have no choice but to believe that you don't give a shit about me.

She walked back outside slamming the door behind her before getting into her car and driving off. She loved taking drives. It eased her in every way possible. Mind, body, and soul.

XXX

After meeting with Galen he was nothing but irritated. Clay had made the ties almost impossible to break and Galen wasn't taking no for an answer. If he had any chance of getting Tara to stay, he needed to get out of guns and soon, but that would have to wait. He needed to make sure the mother of the boy who shot the school wouldn't rat. They'd moved her up to the cabin but from what he was hearing she was becoming a problem.

"How is she?" he asked approaching Nero.

"Even, for now. Gotta make sure she stays that way."

"Jax, Gemma's outside." Juice's voice called out to him. He walked outside to see his mom getting out of her car.

"What's going on? He asked leaning against the side of the car.

"Just saw Clay. He was spewing some shit about how sorry he was and how I was doing the right thing. " Gemma stated crossing her arms over her chest.

"Doesn't sound like Clay."

"No, sounds like a traitor that caught a deal." She leaned forward as she spoke. "That nurse. The one that Otto killed. Her brother is the one protecting him."

Jax ran his hands over his head. "He's a Marshall." Gemma nodded. "Shit"

Hearing gunshots Jax shoved Gemma down behind the car when the yelling got louder. He saw Darvany with a shotgun aimed at the men as she shouted at Nero's cousin. Jax aimed his gun to shoot but Nero's cousin Arcadio yelled out to him causing the distressed mother to point the shotgun at him and Gemma.

"Drop the guns!" She screamed at the top of her lungs before getting in the car begging Arcadio to go with her. Nero shot Arcadio in the head prior to him getting in Gemma's car. As Darvany got out running and screaming, Jax was able to tackle her to the ground pointing the gun down at her.

"Jax! No!" Nero screamed behind him. "We don't do that, Mano"

Jax shook his head staring down at the crying woman. This bitch was going to be a problem. As Nero tied her down in the bedroom with Tig and Chibs, Jax pulled Juice aside and let him know that she needed to be handled. When it came time to get her high again, he'd smother her with the pillow and make it seem like an OD. It took some convincing but Nero took Jaxs word for it.

XXX

Mina had been driving around for almost 2 hours when she hit a rocky road and felt her tire pop. "Shit!" She slammed her fist on steering wheel before getting out the car to check it out. She pulled out her phone to search for a tow truck, settling for the closest one to her house.

After sitting in the car for over 30 minutes, she saw the tow pull up. Getting out she was greeted by a lanky looking guy, with brown messy hair and beard.

"Hey, thanks for coming out all this way." She smiled softly at the driver.

"Not a problem, Miss. Call me Rat." He held his hand out for her to shake.

Mina laughed at the name before shaking his hand. "Rat, huh? I'm Mina."

He laughed and nodded. "You can wait in the truck, it'll be a minute for me to get this up."

She nodded and grabbed her purse from the front seat before getting into the tow truck. Soon after Rat got in driving them to the Teller Morrow auto body shop. She got out the truck and sat by the tables that Rat had told her to when she took a minute to stare at the sign. Teller.. Teller.. Shit. Wasn't Jax's last name Teller? Yup. She turned her head to look at the adjoined building to see Sons of Anarchy MC written in big ass letters. Part of her got excited but the other side didn't want to be around any man at the moment.

Gemma stood by the car talking to Tara as she dropped off the kids. Her eyes caught the familiar petite brunette walk over to a table by the garage and sit down looking at something on her phone. A smirk crawled onto the older woman's face knowing Jax would be here soon. As good of mother as Tara was, she couldn't trust her as far as she could throw her. This girl was local. It would be in Jax's best interest to find someone local. Seeing Tara leave, Gemma walked over to the picnic table sitting across from the young woman.

"Lookin' for Jax, sweetheart?" Gemma asked with a visible smirk.

Mina looked up from her phone seeing the older woman. Shit this was his mother. "No, Ma'am.. I mean Gemma. Popped my tire while driving, this was the closest shop to my house." She shrugged her shoulders.

Gemma nodded at the woman. "Need some coffee? Water?"

"I'm alright, Gemma. Really. Do you know how long it'll take?" Mina smiled softly at the motherly figure.

"I'll go check." She stood up, walking over to the office.

XXX

Jax stopped by the coffee shop on his way to TM. Walking inside he didn't see Mina anywhere so he walked up to the counter looking down at the other woman behind the counter.

"Hey, darlin'. Is Mina around?" he asked leaning his elbows over the high counter.

Rachel looked up at the gorgeous blonde and her face immediately turned red. "Uh.. um. She has a pretty strict rule about telling men where she is."

Jax looked at her confused. "I think it'll be okay."

Rachel nodded shyly. "Her shift ended at three. She might be home."

Jax smirked at the woman before patting the countertop. "Thanks." He walked out of the shop disappointed. After the day they were having, all he wanted was a little bit of peace before the next order of business had to be handled. Shaking his head, he got back on his bike driving over to TM.

He parked his bike in the usual spot walking towards the office door when his eye caught his mother at the picnic table talking to someone. He lit a cigarette and made his way over when his eyes nearly popped out of his head after hearing that beautiful laugh. Mina's laugh.

"Am I interrupting somethin'?" he said with a big smile walking up to the table. He saw a light in Mina's eyes as she smiled up at him sweetly.

"Hey baby" his mother stood up to give him a kiss. "Mina's tire popped on the highway, it's in the shop right now. If you got some time, why don't you keep her company while I set up her paperwork."

Mina blushed at the older woman. "Oh, Ya'll don't need to worry about me I'm sure you got things to do." She waved her hand at them.

"No trouble at all, darlin'" He took a seat across from her at the table as Gemma smirked at the two.

Mina smiled and grabbed the cigarette from his hand, taking a long pull before handing it back to him, blowing the smoke up in the air.

He smirked seeing her perfect lips press against the cigarette. "Stressful day?"

Mina laughed running her hands over her face. "To say the least. Judging by the look on your face, yours must be worse?" She smiled softly at him. Her phone rang at the table and she immediately hit decline turning her attention back to Jax.

"You can answer that if you need.."

"No." she interrupted quickly before her phone rang again and she hit decline.

His face scrunched with concern as her phone rang a third time and she turned it off. "Everything good?"

She looked up at him and he handed her his cigarette again. "Good isn't a term I'm familiar with." She shrugged taking another pull before handing it to him so he could do the same. "What's going on with you?"

He thought for a moment as to how much to tell her. He didn't know her more than two days now but she did say she could keep her mouth shut and he needed to vent. He took a deep pull and stubbing it out. Before he knew it, words had started coming out like vomit before he could even filter them.

"Everything's going on. That school shooting this morning? The gun links back to the MC. My wife just got out on bail today. I'm tryin' to get the club out of guns and the IRA ain't lettin' that happen. On top of everything, my stepfather might have made a deal against the club."

Mina pulled out a cigarette from her own pack, lighting it and taking another pull before offering it to him. Blowing the smoke out to the side. She listened carefully, hearing the stress in his voice but the nervousness in it showed he didn't talk about this with just anyone. She nodded her head after he returned her cigarette and took another hit giving him a small smile. "Sounds like some deep shit, Pres."

Jax laughed before taking her cigarette. "To say the least." She'd handled that better than he'd thought. There was no judgement in her eyes. No pity. No disgust. It was as if it had been the most causal thing in the world. She had to know even more than she was letting on about the club.

She smiled and reached her hand out, giving his a squeeze. "Shit happens Jax. Just gotta handle it and move on."

He held her hand in his. Feeling the smoothness of her skin under his fingertips. His eyes staring right into hers. "How are you so okay with all that."

Mina smiled and put the cigarette out. She opened her mouth to say something but heard her name being called. She looked behind him to see Gemma by the office door and her car in front. "I'll see you later, Jax." She smiled and walked over to Gemma, who said it was on the house. After giving the woman a grateful hug, she got into her car and drove off the lot. Jax watched her body move it was like she'd been floating on air. He liked her. He was drawn to her. She left the lot and he found himself missing her. Gemma leaned back against the door frame with an accomplished smirk on her face. She liked that girl. Her son liked that girl. Tara had to go.


	3. Chapter 3

Guys I'm seriously loving the responses to this story. I honestly don't know if I'm going to follow Season 6 exactly, in the sense of Tara dying but time will tell.

I'm having so much fun developing the relationship between Jax and Mina. I have finally finished writing the last chapter of That was Then, This is Now and can now focus on this story. Also, please excuse any sentences that may not make sense or misspelled words. I did proof read but I really wanted to get his chapter up today! :)

Let me know what you think!

As always, I only own my OC and story plot.

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><p>Mina lay in bed staring at the ceiling. It was her day off and she dreaded having to get up. She hated what her life had become. Working a meaningless job to pay off debts that weren't even hers. She had so much going for her at one point and now she was stuck. Her thoughts were broken as her phone rang, staring at the vibrating phone on the counter she let the phone ring through. She knew who it was, but she wasn't ready. There was a knock on her door and she ignored that also, pulling the sheets over her head.<p>

Adrianna unlocked her sisters door and walked up the stairs. She knew her baby sister. Knew how hard this was for her. She walked into Mina's bedroom to see pictures ripped all over the floor and a half empty bottle of Jack on the nightstand just like she'd expected. It happened every year on this day. She sat on her sisters bed removing the sheets covering her face.

"Mina, we have to go." She gently brushed the hair off her face.

"Why?" Mina turned her head to face out the window.

"Because we need to pay our respect." She rubbed her sisters cheek. The bags under her eyes let Adrianna know she hadn't slept all night. Not that she needed confirmation after hearing her walking around all night. "Come on, Mina. We have to go." She sighed pulling her arms so she would get out of bed.

Mina got out of bed and grabbed the bottle of Jack going to the bathroom. Addy heard the shower running and sighed collecting all the ripped pictures from the ground.

Mina leaned against the shower wall taking sips from the bottle as she let the water hit her skin.

She washed up and wrapped a towel around her body and hair as she did her makeup before blow drying and straightening her hair. She slipped on a pair of black opaque tights with a black fitted dress over it along with her black high heels. She managed to look presentable at least. Walking downstairs she met Addy at the door before hopping into her charger.

XXX

Jax woke up early to a call from Barosky saying an inspector was coming to Collette's later today and she wanted to meet at his shop with him and Nero.

He got out of bed and looked to see Tara's side empty. He walked to the boys rooms to see them empty as well. Shrugging he took a quick shower before heading out of the house. His first stop was the coffee shop. He couldn't imagine starting his day without his daily dose of Mina. For the past week he'd stopped in to see her every morning. The energy she gave off got him through the day and this day wasn't any different. When the line was extra long, she'd even make his drink and bring it to him outside so he wouldn't have to wait. Although at this point, he'd wait hours just so he could stare. He was starting to feel like a creep but she didn't seem bothered by it.

Walking inside he looked around the shop not seeing Mina anywhere around. Walking to the front he saw that girl again and smiled down at her. "Ay darlin', Mina around today?"

Rachel looked up at the god-like biker in front of her and shook her head. She'd become pretty familiar with him since he started coming in everyday to see Mina. "Sorry, hun. Mina had to take a personal day." She shrugged.

Jax's mood dropped severely. One because he was concerned something was wrong with her and two because he was selfish and didn't want to wait until tomorrow to see her. "Somethin' wrong?"

Rachel always being one to spill too much shrugged her shoulders. "She wouldn't talk about it. She looked really mad though."

Jax frowned and nodded at the young woman. "Thanks Rach. Tell her I stopped by."

The young woman nodded and smiled at him "Will do, Jax!"

He walked out and looked at his phone. He wanted to call her but again it's not like they knew each other too well. He knew nothing about her. She always stayed away from the topic of her personal life. He signed and put his phone back in his pocket heading over to Barosky's donut shop.

XXX

Mina leaned against her car with her arms crossed. She watched her sister speak to their mother's headstone while sobbing. They'd been there for over an hour and Mina hated every moment of it. She felt her phone vibrate and reached into her blazer jacket to pull it out to see a text from Jax. "Stopped by the shop. You weren't there :(" She smiled to herself and texted him back. "Wishing I was, darling. Wishing I was. :(" It was the truth. She'd rather be there and be busy that to be there to "pay respect" to the one person she resented the most.

Adrianna walked up to her sister wiping her tears. "You're not going to say anything?"

"Just get in the car, Addy. I need this day to be over." She rolled her eyes getting back into the drivers seat of her car. Her sister followed and they drove to the church. They sat down in the back pews of the church so Addy could say a prayer. Mina never understood why Adrianna did this every year. Her mother wasn't even worth the title mother, but Addy always defended her.

She leaned back on the seat and looked up at the large cross in the front. She was never really religious but being here made her think. Think about the way her life had gone. Think about why she really hated her mother. She had every reason too. She couldn't be in there anymore. She grabbed her purse walking outside leaning against the doors waiting for Adrianna to finish.

XXX

Jax sat at the donut shop while Collette talked to Nero. He couldn't stop himself from sending her a text. When he felt his phone vibrate, his heart skipped a beat seeing her name. "Wishing I was, darling. Wishing I was. :(" His smile caught Collettes attention and she leaned forward closer to him. "Wife?" Before he could answer the sound of gunshots filled the shop. He tossed Collette down onto the floor as everyone else got down as well. He peeked through the glass to see the Iranians from the other day.

As soon as the car drove away everyone ran outside. Barosky immediately called his guys to come clean up the shop and take care of his guy that was injured on the floor. Jax ran his hands over his head looking at Collette. "I'll have one of my guys drive you back to the house."

"No, she'll hang out here. I'll leave one of my men with her." Barosky stated crossing his arms over at Jax.

"I'll leave Juice with you. Let him know if you need anything." Jax nodded at her.

"Am I talking to myself here or what?!" Charlie yelled over at them.

"Don't fight over me boys. My daddy says I'm not worth it." Collette chimed in as she walked inside.

Jax smirked looking her up and down biting his bottom lip. He shook the thoughts out of his head. What was he doing? Texting Mina lusting over Collette. He had Tara. His high school sweetheart the love of his life.

XXX

They tracked the Iranians down to the dock. Barosky and Jax stepped forward putting their arms up as the Iranians on the boat pulled out their guns on them.

"We just want to talk!" Jax yelled over to the boat.

"Put the guns away!" One of them yelled form the boat.

"It's too dangerous, Jackie" Chibs said grabbing onto Jax arm.

"What's the matter? Scared of a little risk?" Barosky scoffed with a smirk.

"No, It's alright." Jax smirked walked onto the dock putting his gun in the bin as Barosky did getting onto the boat.

XXX

Jax passed by Collette's place after leaving his meeting with Marks. He felt like shit about leading him to Tig like that but he was a man of his word. He walked up the stairs to hear moaning coming from her room. He sighed and started to walk downstairs when he heard a familiar voice coming from the other side. He walked back up the few steps and slowly cracked the door open to find Collette riding Barosky on the couch.

He didn't know why he was so angry about it by he was. You could say he wasn't the sharing type but it also wasn't right. It's not like he was available to be anything more. Nor did he want to. He walked out and rode his bike back home. Walking inside his house, he felt his phone vibrate. He looked at his caller ID and scoffed turning his phone off after seeing Collette's name.

Grabbing a drink from the fridge he took a sip before a peice of paper on the table caught his eye. He put the milk into the fridge and walked over to the table looking the paper over. His eyes widened but his heart seemed to sink. He should be excited that Tara was pregnant again. It would bring them closer.

Who was he kidding? They'd had sex the other night and all she did was cry. The damage was already done. At this point the only thing that would make her happy was if he signed those papers and let her leave with the boys. He couldn't do that though. He belonged here. His boys belonged here.

He slowly made his way to Abel's bedroom, leaning in kissing his head before going to Thomas's room to do the same. When he made it to his bedroom, he had hoped she'd be asleep but of course she wasn't. Sitting on the bed, she scooted closer to him. He went in to kiss her but she leaned in to give him a hug. "I love you" he whispered but got no response.

He sighed and got up off the bed, putting his cut back on. "You're heading out again?" Tara asked sitting up again.

"Yeah," He nodded. "I just wanted to check on you and the boys."

Jax kissed her forehead before heading back outside. He got on his bike and drove and drove and drove. He couldn't stand this divide between him and Tara. Of course he loved her, but he'd started to question how much. She'd continuously tried to pull him out of SAMCRO. She thought it was for the best but this is who he was. He'd never once tried to change her but that's all she tried to do to him.

He didn't know how long he'd been driving but when he stopped he realized he was in Mina's driveway. Sitting on his bike for a moment he questioned going inside. If he went in, he'd surely try to sleep with her but at this point he didn't care. He got off his bike, putting his helmet on the handlebar before walking up the stairs. He looked at the two doorbells and remembered she'd told him she lived on the second floor so he knocked on the door.

XXX

Mina was still dressed in her dress and tights from earlier. Her hair slightly messy from laying around all day but she couldn't bother getting changed. She'd been drinking all day and after finishing 2 bottles of wine by herself she'd taken a nap on the couch for the rest of the day. Addy was out doing god knows what, she had invited her but Mina wasn't having it.

After sobering up, she'd realized she hadn't eatten anything all day and called to order a pizza. She walked to the kitchen to grab another bottle of wine when she heard the door knock. She'd just gotten off the phone with the pizza place so there was no way it was here yet.

Walking down the stairs she peeked through the peephole to see Jax on the other side. She opened the door leaning against the doorframe confused still holding the bottle of wine by the neck. "Jax, you okay?"

He looked up to see her dressed up with a bottle of wine in her hand. "Shit, am I interrupting something?" He scratched the back of his head. He hoped to God he wasn't. Mina was his last hope of getting some peace tonight. He also couldn't help the twinge of jealousy that hit him when he thought she might have a date.

Mina looked at the bottle of wine then back at him. "No, sweetheart. Just drinkin' myself to death. I ordered pizza though. You wanna come up?"

He let out a little smirk thinking she was kidding but he nodded nonetheless. "Yeah, that'd be great." She nodded and took his hand leading him up to her house. His eyes ran down her body. He couldn't help but look up her dress as she walked up, he could even see her lace red panties through her tights.

Mina grabbed the two other bottles that were on the table as Jax in. "Jesus Christ, Mina. You were serious?"

She looked over her shoulder at him as she walked to the kitchen. "In a way, I wouldn't care if I was."

"What's goin' on, darlin'." He followed her into the kitchen as she handed him a glass of wine grabbing another for herself.

She thought for a moment as to how much to tell him. "Today's the anniversary of my mother's death. Addy makes a big deal about it." She shrugged taking a sip of her wine as she motioned for them to go to the living room.

"Damn, I'm sorry babe." He sat on the couch as she grabbed the remote from the table sitting down next to him.

She put her feet up on the table crossing them as she flipped through the channels. "Don't be. Bitch deserved it." His eyes widened, taken back a little by her cold tone. He'd never heard that from her sweet sweet voice. "What's goin' on with you?" She turned her head to look at him.

Jax sighed and leaned back on the couch putting his hands over his face. "My wife's pregnant."

Mina raised an eyebrow taking another sip of her drink. "And?"

He looked down then back up at her. "And the escort I'm fuckin' is fuckin' someone else." He'd never talk so openly about this with anyone else but he didn't know why he could do it with her. He looked up to see her looking back at him. Again, there was no judgment in her eys. As much as he should have felt like shit but he felt a weight lifted off him. "I know I have no right bein' mad but it's hard to explain. It ain't jealousy or nothin'. I guess I just can't share."

Mina handed him the remote. "Here, put a movie on demand." She nodded over at the tv. "So why are you cheatin' on your wife?"

He stared at the tv. He hated that word. He knew what he was doing but to have it so bluntly put seemed to hit him hard. "I don't know. I guess in a way we've been over for a while now. We were high school sweethearts you know? I'd never been more in love then I was with her. But I should have known better than to think it would last. Tara always hated this life. Always tried to pull me away." He took a deep breath as the doorbell rang.

Mina got up and put her glass down. "Pizza's here. Hope you're okay with just pepperoni." He gave a small smile and nodded. She walked down the stairs and paid for the pizza bringing it back up and setting it onto the table in front of them.

He watched her move and couldn't get over how perfect everything about her was. How easy it was to talk to her. He put The Godfather on demand and smiled up at her as she sat down next to him. "Thanks for this."

"For what?" She leaned forward grabbing a slice.

"Letting me talk." He shrugged taking a bite of his slice. "Listening to me. Not looking at me like I'm some peace of shit."

Mina shrugged and reached over turning off the lamp next to them so the room was dark. "It ain't about makin' you feel like shit, Jax. I don't condone cheating by any means. Hell I won't even answer my ex's calls cause he cheated, but I'm no better a person than you."

"I doubt that." He laughed as he ate some more. He couldn't imagine there was a bad bone in her body.

Mina leaned back on the couch, bringing her legs up under her. She ran her fingers through her hair and shrugged. "Can I ask you something?" He looked at her and nodded. "Why keep dragging this on? Why not just divorce her?"

Jax looked down at the ground and shrugged. "I don't really know. I guess I've just been with her for so long, it's just become routine."

She put a hand over his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Sometimes routines are meant to be broken."

He leaned back and nodded. They fell into a comfortable quiet. She'd laid her long thin legs onto his lap as she laid her head on the opposite side of the couch while he had laid back getting comfortable. They watched the movie and he'd steal glances over at her. Her beautiful face looked tired. Upset. He didn't like it. He wanted to make her pain go away and the vibe he got off of her was that she wanted to do the same for him.

He grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together. She looked over at him with heavy sleepy eyes and gave him a small smile while she dozed off. He smiled at her, leaning in to kiss the top of her soft hand before laying back down. He'd never imagined this is how the night would have ended up. Pizza, wine, and a movie, but it was perfect. It was just what he needed. Before he knew it he'd fallen asleep on the other side of her couch, still holding her hand in his.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm loving the great responses to this story guys. It's really giving me the motivation to write a chapter everyday so I can post them. I am taking in all the ideas you guys are throwing out there with this story. It's still so knew I haven't determined how I'm going to end it but I am taking notes!. Thank you so much for the great reviews and support! Keep them coming!

I only own my OC.

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><p>Jax woke up to his phone ringing woke him up. He looked at the time on the TV before he answered. It was 5am. "Shit" He mumbled seeing Tara's name on the caller ID.<p>

"Hey babe." He tried clearing his throat so he didn't sound like he'd just woken up. He looked down to feel legs still laying on his lap and his eyes wandered up them to see Mina still peacefully sleeping on the couch. He couldn't help but stare with a soft smile on his face.

Tara's frantic voice over the phone snapped him out of it and he sighed again. "Yeah. I'm sorry. We were out late, I crashed at the clubhouse. I'll be right there."

He got up as slowly as he could so he didn't wake her but failed. Mina's eyes opened slowly to see him standing up.

"What time is it?" She mumbled sitting up on the couch.

"5. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sleep here." He put his phone back in his pocket looking down at her. He smiled to himself hearing her adorable sleepy voice.

"Shit." She stood up running her fingers through her messy hair. "I gotta get ready for work."

He nodded his head towards the door. "Yeah, I need to head out."

She put her hand on his back as she walked him to the front door. Her touch sent waves of electricity through his body, waking him up immediately. If something so small could do that to him, he wondered about more.

"Thanks again for last night." He smiled down at her.

Mina pulled him in wrapping her arms around his neck for a hug. His hands slide down around her waist pulling her tighter against him.

"Don't mention it. I'll see you later, Jax." She smiled as she pulled away watching him walk to his bike.

XXX

Jax got home in time to lay in bed for a few more hours with Tara. Although he tried to hold her close to him, she continuously moved further away. Finally giving up he laid on his back to get some sleep, but everytime he closed his eyes, he'd see Mina.

The more he looked at her, the more he'd see how beautiful she was. Yeah on the outside, but on the inside too. She didn't look at him the way others did. With fear or disgust. She just looked at him. No matter what he said, she acted like it was the most normal thing in the world. He found himself needing to be around her every passing day.

As he turned to face the woman next to him, he wished he could say the same about her. He wondered why she'd married him to begin with. She knew what he was. Knew he wasn't leaving. In a way, he knew she loved him, but she never loved him for him. She loved him for the man he could have been without the Sons. But he wasn't that man. Didn't want to be that man. He knew from a young age he was destined to be in this seat. He knew from a young age that this patch was for life.

He ran a hand gently down Tara's cheek. Maybe Mina had a point. Just because something became a routine didn't mean it'd have to continue. He knew for a fact that Tara would be happier without him, but letting her go would mean her taking his boys and now his unborn child. He couldn't let that happen. He wasn't ready to let go of any of them.

XXX

Mina clocked into work and got behind the register, it was surprisingly dead so she leaned on the counter looking through her phone. Matt wasn't around so everything was more relaxed and casual. Exactly what she needed after yesterday.

Rachel bumped her hip against Mina as she wrapped her arms around her small frame. "Hope you're okay."

Mina smiled slightly and hugged her back. "Yeah, I'm doin' alright. Thank, Rach. Did I miss anything yesterday?"

Rachel shook her head and laughed. "Aside from Matt freaking out on everyone, nothing" she shrugged them thought for a moment. "Jax stopped by to see you. I told him it was your day off." She poked her friends arm and smiled knowingly "So what IS going on with you and him? He comes in everyday and only buys coffee when you're here."

Mina felt her cheeks burning as she blushed but turned her head to look away from Rachel. "Nothing Rach. Don't be nosey. We're literally just friends."

Rachel made a "sure you are" face and crossed her arms. "Sure. Because Jax is the type to have female friends."

Mina's face got more serious than she wanted and she crossed her arms standing taller. She looked Rachel in the eye as she spoke. "YOU don't know what type Jax is, honey. Leave it at that."

Rachel put her hands up to surrender "Alright alright! I'm sorry."

XXX

Jax got up to make a bottle for Thomas when he heard a bike pull up to his house. Looking through the window, he was surprised to see Tig there. He thought for sure Marks was going to kill him. Tig walked in as Jax opened the door for him, motioning them to the kitchen.

"Guess who showed up at the warehouse last night." Tig asked him.

Jax pretended to make a confused face. "Who?"

"August Marks." Tig answered still relishing in fear from the night prior.

Jax widened his eyes again in surprise. "What? Why?"

"I don't know, said he needed to talk to you. Told me to let you know." Tig shrugged but looked to see a reaction from Jax.

"Alright. I'll set a meeting with him." Jax shrugged still making a puzzled face.

Tara came in looking at both of them annoyed while she grabbed the bottle that Jax was supposed to be making and left the room.

"Jax. Are we.. Are we good?" He asked as he walked towards the front door.

"Yeah. Yeah we're good brother." He gave Tig a hug of reassurance before he left. He couldn't imagine why Marks would let Tig live. It had to have been some sort of test to see if he would.

After being ignored by Tara again, he got dressed and headed to meet with Marks. He gave Marks the business plan for the porn studio he planned on opening in hopes that Marks would back them with an investment but his phone interrupted the meeting.

"Hey. Jax? Sorry to bother you. Galen's at the warehouse with a delivery." He heard Phil through the phone.

"Galen's at the warehouse? How did he even find it?" Jax replied getting more and more angry.

"I have no idea. You should head over here." Phil responded and hung up the phone.

Jax immediately called Chibs and told him to bring the guys to the warehouse before meeting them all there. The place was quiet for having just received a delivery and there was no trace of Galen and his crew until they spotted the truck with "Hands Off" written in large letters in what appeared to be guns. They immediately drew their guns and carefully walked to the doors. Tig and Happy kicked them open and they were met with the gruesome sight of Phil and V-Lin's hands placed over their cuts. They looked around to find their dismembered bodies laying off to the side.

Jax covered his mouth from the smell of it as he made eye contact with the others. "We're calling lockdown. This means war." He looked at the others who started making calls. He walked back outside to call Gemma. He didn't know who'd seen him with Mina. He wanted her there tonight. Needed to see she was safe with his own eyes.

"Hey Ma." He started as Gemma answered the phone. "Look we're going into lockdown. I need a favor from you."

"What is it baby?" She asked with alertness in her voice.

"I need you to go get Mina. She's at work till 5."

He could practically see Gemma smirking through the phone. "And how would you know that?"

"Mom, I'm bein' serious. I need you to bring her to the clubhouse." He spoke more seriously.

"Alright. Alright. What am I supposed to tell Tara about who she is?"

"Tell her she's a friend of the club. Don't let anyone mess with her while she's there either."

"Alright baby. Be safe."

XXX

Mina was cleaning off the counter when the door chimes rang. She poked her head over the divider to see Gemma walk in.

"Hey Gemma! What can I get you?"

"Hey sweetheart. I actually need to talk to you. You got a minute?"

Mina looked at the old woman confused as she told Rachel she'd be right back then stepped outside to with Gemma. "What's going on?"

Gemma thought for a moment. Jax had told her Mina knew about club businesses but he didn't say how much. "The clubs going on lockdown at the clubhouse. Jax wants you there."

Mina crossed her arms over her chest. She remembered lockdowns at the Belfast clubhouse. They were always a blast but that was because she knew everyone and she had her best friend. She'd be a stranger here. "I don't know Gemma."

The older woman pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "It's only overnights, you can go to work in the mornings. He was very specific about getting you there darlin'. He clearly cares about you."

Mina thought it over for a moment. She really didn't want to make this harder on him than it already was. "Yeah. Okay. I get out in 15 if you want to wait around?"

Gemma nodded and waited outside smoking a cigarette she noticed a this guy standing there constantly looking around. Mina walked out a little later but froze in her tracks seeing the guy standing there. Gemma watched as her demeanor changed drastically and watched her clench and unclench her fists.

"Mina, you got a minute?" The guy spoke.

"Not for you Chris. Get lost." Mina rolled her eyes finding Gemma.

"Why are you with Gemma Teller?" Chris moved forward towards her.

Mina completely ignored him looking at Gemma. "Ready?" Gemma nodded and grabbed her car keys.

"Oh I get it. You're fucking another Son aren't you. I should have known you were no better than those biker whores!" He spat.

Mina squeezed her phone in her hand to make her fist harder as she spun around punching him in the nose causing Chris to fall back onto the ground holding his bleeding nose. "You don't EVER talk about him!"

Gemma watched as Mina hit him. She was actually shocked this sweet little thing had that much aggression. Hearing she was with another Son caused some concern though. She didn't need Jax fucking around with someone else's old lady.

Mina turned to face Gemma again and nodded her head towards the car. "I'll follow you to the clubhouse." Gemma nodded again looking at the girl skeptically before getting back in the car driving to the clubhouse.

XXX

After arriving at the clubhouse, Gemma linked her arm with Mina's before walking inside. "Listen. Jax's wife Tara is going to be in there. She doesn't need to know you're fucking Jax."

Mina stared at Gemma with a face confused yet serious face. "Gemma. I don't know what you think is going on with Jax but we're not sleeping together."

Gemma looked at her with an attitude but after looking into her eyes Gemma was just confused. "My son goes to see you everday. He spent the night last night, and you're telling me you haven't slept with him?"

"No. And last night we had pizza and watched a movie we both woke up on my couch." Mina shrugged seeing Gemma's perplexed face.

Gemma let out an actual smile. Her son really did like this girl. All this time and he wasn't even getting ass but he kept going back. "So who was this other son?"

Mina looked down at the ground staying silent for a moment causing Gemma to raise an eyebrow. "His name was Padraic. He was SAMBEL. He died in an explosion years ago."

Gemma's hand flew to her chest. Padraic was Chib's nephew. He had died while they were in Ireland. Shit. "Shit, I'm sorry. How long were you together for?"

Mina scratched the side of her neck thinking back. "I was there for a semester in college. It was only about 4 months but he was a real good guy. Unlike all the other assholes I seem to attract."

Gemma nodded in understanding. "I have someone I want you to meet later but for now the story is that you're a friend of SAMBEL and they asked us to look out for you." Mina nodded and walked inside with the older woman.

XXX

Jax had finally managed to track down Conner and his men. Galen had already left the states but he'd be able to Get ahold of the Kings and let them know exactly what Galen was up too. He let them know what he proposed with having the Mayans run the guns and they told him he'd have his answer by 8pm.

He looked at the time and decided to head back to the clubhouse. He'd really hoped his mother had gotten Mina to go with her. He saw her car on the lot when they pulled in and he smiled to himself. Walking inside he scanned the room. He saw Tara sitting by the bar with Thomas but he saw Gemma actually hanging out and playing a game of pool with Mina and two prospects. He smiled as he saw her laughing and having a good time and to his surprise so was Gemma.

He turned his attention to Tara, walking up and kissing her forehead before kissing his son. "Where's Abel?"

Tara let out a forced smile. She hadn't missed the look he gave the girl over there with Gemma. "He's sleeping in the dorm." She said dryly.

He nodded and walked over to the pool table. "Hey baby, how'd everything go?" He was greeted by his mother.

"We'll find out" He answered as he kissed her cheek before locking eyes with Mina and there was that beautiful smile again. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. "Thanks for coming."

She hugged him back and smiled softly. "It's not a problem. Everyone's been really nice."

He looked at Gemma for confirmation and she nodded but she spotted Chibs and waved him over. "Mina, this is who I wanted you to meet."

Mina's eyes widened with excitement as she spotted him. "Chibs?"

Chib's eyes widened as well as he walked over to hug her with a smile. "Mina! How you doin' lass?"

Mina hugged him back tightly. They'd both lost someone that day. Someone they both cared about deeply. She looked up at him with a sad smile. "I had forgotten which character you were in!"

Chibs laughed as he kept his arm wrapped around her shoulders. "I'm gonna steal this young lady for a bit. Got some catching up to do!" He told Gemma and Jax who looked completely lost at the scene. "Lets get you a drink, aye?!" He laughed as Mina did and they walked over to the bar.

Jax looked at his mother in utter confusion before returning his eyes to Mina and Chibs. Chibs was kissing her cheek and rubbing her back and continuously pulling her in for hugs as they laughed and shared drinks. It was quickly making Jax extremely jealous. He wanted to do that. Be so comfortable in public with her.

Gemma looked just as confused but after putting two and two together she thought she'd explain it to her Son. He looked ready to kill someone. "She was in Belfast, Jax."

He looked at her briefly before returning his eyes to Chibs and Mina. "Yeah, I know."

Gemma crossed her arms and watched them as well. "Well the reason she knows so much about the club isn't because of Maureen. She was going out with Padraic. Chibs nephew."

Jax felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He looked at his mother with wide eyes. "When? For how long?"

Gemma shrugged and turned to look at him. "4 months. She said she really cared about him but he died in an explosion. The one planted by McGee and O'Neil."

His heart sank. He'd remembered how hurt Chibs was. He was a great kid. "So Chibs must've met her when we were there."

Gemma nodded looking at her sons upset face. "She wasn't his old lady, Jax. It was still a fling while she was in school." She tugged on his sleeve. "You want to tell me what's going on with her? You've hung around her everyday and she told me you ain't gettin' any. So what's the deal?"

He shrugged at his nosey mother. The thought of having sex with her came to him constantly. She was gorgeous to look at. Beautiful face, hair, personality. He'd pictured ever different way he wanted to take her, but when he was with her it wasn't about any of that. He felt at home. Normal. "It's hard to explain, Ma. It just ain't like that with her. We just talk. A lot. I don't know how to describe it to you. She makes me feel at peace."

Gemma let out a knowing smile. She couldn't believe her son had fallen in love. After all the years she'd been trying to draw him away from Tara, this was the girl that did it.

XXX

Mina laughed and laid her head on Chibs shoulder at the bar. It was good to catch up. She could tell why Paddi always looked up to his uncle so much.

Chibs cleared his throat and looked down at her. "So. How's yer mum doin'?"

Mina sat up and down her drink, feeling the burn in her throat. "She, uh, she died. Shortly after I got back to the states."

He put a hand on her back. "How?" He knew her problems with her mom. Knew how sore of a subject it was for her.

She avoided eye contact staring at her empty glass. "She was driving drunk and got in an accident. Ended up killing herself and one other woman."

"Jesus Christ." He rubbed her back and downed his own drink. "Sorry to hear that."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry for that woman and her family. My mother deserved everything she got. Me and Adrianna were left to clean up her mess."

Chibs nodded in understanding. "Usually how it goes. Least yer holdin' up."

XXX

Jax had watched them talking for over an hour. What could they possibly have to talk about for that long. Chibs was never away from the group for more than an hour at a time while they were in Belfast how well did they get to know each other. He watched her get up and go towards the hallway to the bathroom. Her mood looked significantly lower than when she first started talking to him. He'd only assumed it was due to talking about Chibs' nephew.

"Hey boss, can you sign this receipt?" The prospect behind the counter asked.

Jax signed the paper but a pen with an Irish flag on it caught his attention. "Where'd you get that pen?"

"Oh the guy that delivered the keg must've left it behind." The prospect shrugged.

Jax's mind went into overdrive. He looked at the time and it was 7:58 pm. Shit this was a trap. "GET EVERYONE OUT NOW!" He shouted as he pushed people out through the door.

"JAX! ABEL!" He heard Tara shout and he immediately began to run.

He saw Mina come out of the bathroom. "MINA MY SON! LAST DOOR HURRY!" He yelled as him and Chibs ran faster. Mina ran across the hallway opening the door to see a sleeping toddler in the bed. She didn't know what was wrong but she wasn't going to wait and see. She quickly grabbed the baby in her arms holding him as close and as gentle as possible as she ran out the bedroom door and out to the lot with the men following behind her. They heard a loud explosion and Mina fell to her knees from the shock. She felt Chibs and Jax throw their bodies over hers as she held the toddler tightly against her chest. She felt his little hands hold onto her tightly, hugging her out of fear as he started to cry from the fire and noise.

As the explosions subsided she was helped up by Jax. He looked at her with the most grateful eyes she'd ever seen. If she hadn't grabbed the Abel, he didn't know if they would have made it out of there in time. She'd saved his son's life. Mina handed him the toddler and stared at the burning building in front of them. "Shit Jax."

Jax nodded but felt himself being pulled away. He looked down to see Tara still holding Thomas in her arms. "Is he okay?!" She asked concerned as she took a look at Abel.

He nodded. "Yeah. Yeah he's fine. Mina got him out." He motioned his head towards the girl talking to Gemma and Tara's eyes narrowed as she scoffed. "Look, I'm having Gemma take you home. I want you to stay with her and Happy's coming with you guys. I need to figure out what's going on."

"Alright. Be safe." She nodded and leaned in kissing his cheek, keeping her eyes on Mina.

He hugged his wife and kissed her forehead. "I love you."

She mumbled a me too and he helped her put the kids in the car with Gemma. He told happy to follow them and keep watch but he looked over to see that Chibs and Mina were missing. He sighed and hung around to deal with the cops.

Chibs returned slightly after and Jax ran up to him. "Where'd you go?"

"Took Mina home." Chibs answered and looked around at the destroyed building as they tried to put out the fire.

Jax crossed his arms leaning against the fence watching the firemen work. "So what's her deal?"

Chibs laughed seeing the look of hunger and interest in his presidents eyes. "She's a real good girl Jackie. Came from a fucked family though. Her father left when she was little. Her mother was a drunk who had a gambling addiction. Gambled away Mina and her sister's life savings. They'd planned to open up their own restaurant. Saved up damn near $200,000 from the moment they could start working. Bitch lost it all. Now the poor girls are working to pay off the debts her mother still owes."

"Shit." Jax took a deep breath taking that all in. He could see why she hated her mother. He hated her mother. He could see how hurt she always was. How miserable she was but she grinned and bared it day after day.

After the police cleared everyone out, Jax found himself driving to Mina's. He had to see that she was okay with his own eyes. She came downstairs after he'd knocked on the door and opened it for him. Without a word they both went inside. He could see her tiny body still trembling and he wrapped his arms around her. Her arms slide around his waist and she dug her face into his chest trying to steady her breathing. After a long while, she pulled away and walked to the kitchen grabbing two beers. Handing him one they both sat on the couch. She leaned her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders holding her tightly against him as he flipped through the channels settling on a movie. No words were needed that night and they were both fine with that.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry guys, this is a shorter chapter but I wanted to post one since I don't post on weekends! I'll be sure to write ahead this weekend so I can get them up earlier in the day. Let me know what you think, I love hearing it!

As always, I only own my OC's and story.

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><p>Jax returned to the clubhouse to check out the damages. He couldn't describe the hurt he felt seeing the place in rubbles. This was the place he'd grown up in. The place his father had established the club in. Now it was nothing but burnt wood and ash. He walked inside as Chibs followed him both taking a look around the place. Everything was destroyed. The glimpse of his fathers bike under beams seemed to hurt him the most.<p>

He took a seat on what was left of a safe and put his head in his hands. "This is all my fault." he sighed to himself.

"No, Jackie boy, this is war." Chibs said walking across the room after spotting the gavel.

"This is all because of me. This is because of me trying to get away from guns." He shook his head staring down at the floor.

Chibs walked back over to him, putting the gavel in his line of vision and handing it to him. "We have to make this right."

Jax took the gavel and continued staring at the ground. They did have to make this right. They weren't just going to fall back and crumble because of an explosion. "We have that summit meeting with the west coast charters today. We'll let them know what's going on."

XXX

He felt the need to tell Mina he was going to be out of town for some reason so he decided to drive over to the coffee shop. The place was quiet so he spotted her immediately. He smiled to himself when he saw her laughing at her coworker.

He made his way to the front and her smile grew when she saw him. "Hey, you" she wiped her hands before coming around the counter to give him a hug. "Want your regular?"

He wrapped his arms around her neck giving her forehead a quick kiss before she pulled out of his arms to look up at him with that gorgeous smile. "Please" He used his most charming smile.

She laughed and walked behind the counter to make him his cup. He was watching her work when his phone rang. The Caller ID said Gemma so he answered. "Yeah, Ma."

"Hey baby, I need to talk to you. Where are you right now? I'll meet you." She sounded in a hurry so Jax looked around the place and told her he was at the coffee shop. He hung up the phone when Mina came around the corner with his cup.

"Thanks." He smiled down at her before taking a sip.

She smiled and motioned her head towards an empty table sitting down across from him. "Everything okay?"

He sat down and smiled at her taking a minute to appreciate the way she looked at him. "Your boss ain't gonna freak out that you're sitting?"

Mina laughed and leaned back in her seat. "He's on vacation for a week thank god!"

Jax laughed and leaned his elbows on the table. "I'm heading out of town for the day. Just wanted to make sure everything was alright with you."

She gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, darlin'. I'm alright. Just shook me a little." She leaned forward to look at him closely. "Mind if I ask where you're going?"

He shook his head and shrugged. "San Bernardino. We're having a meeting with the rest of the west coast charters. Gotta figure out what we're going to do. That explosion meant war."

Mina sighed and placed her hand over his, tracing light circles with her fingertips on his skin that drove him crazy. "Is a war really what you guys need right now? Especially with the IRA, Jax. It's big shit to handle and with the DA on your ass for that school shooting, they'll look for anyway to lock you all up."

Jax watched her small hand move around his and thought hard about what she said before he nodded in agreement. "You're right, but I still can't let them get away with this."

Mina laced their fingers and continued to look at him. "You shouldn't, but it'd be best to avoid a war at all costs. You have a family and a pregnant wife. You can't get locked up or killed now."

He gave her hand a small squeeze. She was so level headed with club business. He tended to be irrational when he was angry but being with her calmed him down enough to think things through. This is exactly what he needed today.

Gemma walked in to see the pair. The loving look in their eyes made her smile as she approached them. "Am I missing something?" She put her hands on her hips looking down at them.

Mina and Jax both smiled at her, neither pulling their hands away immediately. "Hey Gemma," Mina spoke up. "Can I get you a drink?"

Gemma smiled at the young woman and nodded. "Yeah get me a large. Black." Mina nodded and smiled at the two before walking back over behind the counter starting to make the drink while Gemma sat in the seat she'd just evacuated. "What was that?" She asked her son with a smirk on her face.

Jax shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "Just told her about the summit meeting later today."

Gemma waved off the topic and leaned forward on her arms. "Look, Nero got arrested. They're charging him with the bullshit murder of that Diosa girl."

Jax leaned forward "What? How?"

Gemma shrugged and threw her hands up in the air. "I don't know! Apparently they got evidence of her blood and hair all over his truck. That's not possible, Jackson. Someone planted all that."

"Jesus Christ." He mumbled.

Mina came up to them handing Gemma her cup of coffee. She noticed both their moods considerably down. "Everything alright?"

Gemma looked up at her and shook her head. "No baby, nothing ever seems to be anymore. Jax we should get to the station."

Mina nodded in understanding as both of them stood up. She hugged Gemma before turning her attention to Jax who gave her a long soft hug. "Don't do anything stupid." She whispered in his ear before pulling away from the hug. Jax nodded with a small smile and leaned down kissing her cheek with his hand on her hip before he walked out the door.

Gemma noticed the same guy from the other day standing outside tucked into the wall of the shop in the alleyway. His face mostly purple from the bruising around his nose. She grabbed Jax's hand and nodded her head towards the man leaning against the wall. "I think you need to have a word with him."

Jax looked at the man before looking at his mother in confusion. "Why?"

Gemma crossed her arms over her chest "Because he's been bothering Mina. He was here when I can to pick her up for lockdown, begging her to talk to him before he called her a biker whore and she did that to his face."

Jax felt anger wash over him completely. He didn't like the fact that he'd been bothering Mina and calling her names, but he liked it even less that he was her ex. He pointed to the guys nose and looked at his mother. "Mina did that?"

Gemma nodded. "She's got quite the bite for being so small" He laughed and nodded. He could only imagine how she looked when she hit him. He couldn't help but be turned on by her aggression but that was for later. Now he had to handle this guy. He didn't want him anywhere near Mina.

Jax walked up to the guy grabbing his shirt in his fists as he lifted him up before slamming him hard against the wall. "Heard you've been botherin' a friend of mine."

The guy looked stunned for a moment before narrowing his eyes and shoving Jax off. "Mind your fuckin' business and let me handle mine, Teller."

Jax smirked hearing that the guy knew his name. He balled his hand into a fist and sent it crashing down hard on the guys nose causing him to scream out in pain. "Your business with her is done, understood?! She's mine!" He leaned up kicking the guy in the head.

He looked left and right to make sure nobody saw them and returned to Gemma, who'd been watching with a smirk on her face. "Your's, huh?"

He shook his head and walked past her to his bike. "Leave it, Ma."

XXX

Mina had the was stuck until close again so she got home late. She hadn't heard from Jax all day which kind of had her worried. There seemed to be a lot going on right now. She just hoped he was okay. Truth be told she missed him. He'd been gone all day without so much as a text. She had to put these thoughts to rest. He wasn't her boyfriend. He was a friend. A married friend.

She needed a distraction. After changing into a pair of grey skinny sweatpants and a navy blue off-the-shoulder oversized sweater, she put her long hair up in a messy bun and cleaned off her make up. Peeking through the window she saw her sister's car in the driveway and decided to spend some time with her. Adrianna had gone back to Georgia to visit family for the last week so she hadn't had much time to talk to her.

Walking downstairs, Mina unlocked her sisters door and walked into the kitchen to find Adrianna making dinner.

"Smells great in here!" She said as she wrapped her arms around her sister's neck from behind.

"Hey you! Joinin' me for dinner?" Adrianna turned to kiss her sister's cheek.

"Hell yeah!" Mina smiled and grabbed the placemats and plates to set the table while her sister brought the food out. She grabbed a glass of wine and two glasses before sitting down.

Her sister filled the glasses as MIna filled their plates.

"How was Macon?" Mina asked taking a bite of her food.

Adrianna laughed. "You know nothing changes over there. Cassie misses us though. Her and her boyfriend have gotten pretty serious."

Mina's eyes widened. "Serious? Addy it's Cassie. How serious could it be?"

Adrianna shrugged and took a biteful of her food. "Serious enough to get married next month."

Mina choked on the food she had in her mouth and started coughing. "Jesus Christ! Married? How long has she been with him?"

"About a year now." Adrianna patted her sister's back as she finished coughing. "We're going."

She shook her head again. "Alright, alright. Might be good to go home for a bit."

Adrianna finished her plate and pushed it aside, crossing her arms as she leaned onto the table. "So what's this I hear about you messing around with Jax Teller?"

Mina leaned back and rolled her eyes. "We're friends Addy."

Her sister pointed a finger at her. "I told you to stay away from the Sons. Do you realize how fucked up they are!"

She leaned forward slamming her hands on the table. "Like our lives were any fucking better Addy! Who do you think you are to judge anybody."

Adrianna stood up. "You're going to get yourself killed one day. You're taste in men is just like moms."

Mina crossed her arms over her chest, "At least I won't die a lonely frigid bitch like you and her."

XXX

Mina went back to her house after dinner. It seemed like she couldn't even be in the same room with her sister anymore without them fighting. In a way it made her sad but she was tired of her sister trying to decide what was best for her, especially when she didn't have any type of life to brag about. She put on a movie in her bedroom and ended up falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

A knock on the door woke her up, as she rubbed her eyes and looked at the time she saw it was 3 in the morning. Who the fuck would be here at three in the morning. Shit was someone here to rob her? Wait, a robber wouldn't knock. She slowly made her way out of bed and grabbed a bat just in case as she walked down the stairs. Peeking through the peephole she saw it was Jax.

She opened the door slowly and shivered a little as the cold air hit her. "Jax?" She asked, rubbing her eyes again.

He lifted her up into a hug and she wrapped her arms and legs around his body laughing lightly as she hugged him back. "The charters voted out of guns with the IRA!" He spoke excitedly.

Mina laughed and hugged him tightly laying her head on his neck as he shut the door and walked up the stairs. "That's amazing, sweetheart!"

Her face was so close to his he just wanted to reach in and kiss her. He'd literally made the guys drive all the way back just so he could tell her the good news. He knew how happy it would make her and that made him feel like he was actually on the right track. He leaned in to kiss her cheek before putting her down. "I'm sorry if I woke you, I just wanted to come tell you the outcome." he said once he realized how ridiculous it was showing up to her house at 3am.

She smiled and waved him off. "It's fine, I have a day off tomorrow. I'm glad you came. I actually missed you." She laughed punching his arm playfully.

He smiled wide as he lowered his head. He hoped she would've missed him. He couldn't explain how happy he was to hear that she did. He punched her back lightly in the stomach and laughed. "I missed you too."

She rubbed some sleep off her eyes as she laughed and he realized how beautiful she looked. Her hair was messy, but a sexy messy. Her face was clear of makeup and her skin seemed to have this radiant glow. Even the sweatshirt and sweatpants she had on made him want to tear them all off of her. He smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her again taking in her sweet smell. He felt at home here. Like he had with Tara at one point.

Mina curled her head into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist, this was nice. He smelled so good. The comfort he provided her was intense. It's like she needed to see him. See that he was okay before she could relax. She pulled away and looked up at him. "You tired?"

He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. Mind if I crash here? I told Tara I wouldn't be back till tomorrow."

Mina nodded her head towards the couch and went to her bedroom to grab a pillow off of her bed and a blanket handing it to him. The pillow smelled just like her, the scent instantly relaxing his muscles. "You hungry or anything? I can make you a sandwich?"

Jax smiled at her nurturing nature and nodded. "That'd be amazing."

She smiled and walked into the kitchen to prepare a sandwich for him. He watched her move swiftly around the kitchen as she toasted the bread before spreading the mayo on it. She cut up the lettuce and tomatoes before putting them on the sandwich with ham. "Here you go, love."

He took the plate and sat at the table. She poured them both a glass of milk before sitting down next to it and taking a sip. He took bites of his sandwich and watched her try to keep her eyes open before she yawned. Mina laughed a little and covered her mouth. "I'm so sorry. I worked another double. I'm exhausted."

He laughed and waved his hand. "Nah I get it. One of these days I'ma have a talk with your boss."

She smiled softly as she rested her head on her arms on the backrest of the chair. "God no. I actually need this job."

He smiled down at her and stood up to put his plate in the sink, taking the time to wash up the dishes she'd made. It was strange. He actually wanted to do the dishes so she wouldn't have to get up and do them since she was tired. Mina watched and walked up to him from behind giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Jax."

He noticed she was about to walk back into the bedroom and he grabbed her hand. "Got time for a movie before bed?"

She laughed lightly and ran a finger through her hair. "Yeah. That'd be nice." She nodded and he sat back on the couch pulling her against him. She leaned her body into his side as he flicked through to on demand options. He felt light breathing against his neck that sent shivers down his body. When he looked down he realized she'd fallen asleep. He'd grown to love her stunning sleepy face. He smiled to himself as he pulled a blanket over them, wrapping his arms to hold her close. Her small arms wrapped around his waist and he could've sworn this was love. As he moved a stray hair out of her face, he realized that all these feelings he had when he was with her had been confirmed. He was in love with Mina, and for once in his life, he wasn't scared.


	6. Chapter 6

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I got some writing done over Saturday and Sunday but not half as much as I wanted too. I was still forced to go out holiday shopping and that nonsense lol.

New chapter is up, things are starting to get even harder. We'll see how Jax & Mina get through it! I love how into this story you guys have gotten and so have I. I really like the two of them together and it's so much fun to write. Please continue leaving reviews, I love hearing your thoughts and your support.

As always, I only own my OC's.

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><p>"Hey, you busy?" Jax's voice over the phone woke up Mina around 9 am.<p>

Mina rubbed her eyes and yawned as she sat up "No, nothing planned for today. What's up?"

"We're moving the clubhouse to the Scoops across the street from the coffee shop, you mind comin' by to help?"

Mina looked at the time and laughed lightly over the phone. "Wakin' me up before noon on my day off, you're gonna owe me one, Teller. I'll be right there give me some time to shower."

"Jesus Christ, I won't see you till next week if that's the case." He laughed over the phone.

"Shut it! I'll be there soon." She laughed and got out of bed.

"Lookin' forward to it babe." He smiled over the phone and she hung up going into the shower. She left her long wavy hair down, slipping on a pair of light wash skinny jeans with a light grey vneck and her light grey KEDS sneakers. She threw a navy zip up hoodie on and headed out the door.

Pulling up to the shop shortly after she took a look around the outside of the place. "Jesus Christ" She laughed to herself before walking inside. "Hey welcome to Scoops, what can I get for you?' The guy with weird finger gloves asked her.

Mina ran her fingers through her hair and smiled as she approached the counter. "Hi, I'm Mina. I'm looking for Jax?"

"I'm Chucky," The guy held his hand out to shake hers with that adorable smile. "Jax said you'd be coming by to help. He just stepped out an hour ago, he should be back soon."

"Thanks Chucky. Need me to do anything?" Mina smiled as she walked behind the counter putting her purse down.

XXX

After handling the situation with Venus and her mother, Jax and the club headed back to Scoops. A smiled crawled on his face when he saw Mina behind the counter laughing with Chucky as she wiped down the counters. He really didn't need her to come help but it was the only chance he'd get to see her today.

Chibs laughed as he patted his president on the shoulder, "Wipe the drool, Jackie boy."

Jax laughed as he walked inside. They'd really done a great job with the place. It looked spotless and organized. "Guys, I want you to meet Mina. She's a friend of mine." He spoke to the club as Mina turned her attention to them.

"And the best damn decorator I know." Chibs laughed and walked around the counter pulling Mina in for a hug.

Mina laughed and Jax involuntarily narrowed his eyes at the hug, before giving Mina a smile. She hugged Chibs and waved at the guys. "Now what'd I do to earn such an introduction? Ya know, other than come to help and end up doing the whole job?"

The guys laughed and as they heard the little woman speak. Jax laughed a little nervously and stepped closer to her. "This is Bobby, Tig, Juice, Happy, Rat, and our new transfers Montez, West, and Quinn."

Mina smiled and nodded at the men. "Great to meet you guys. Rat, nice to see you again."

Jax shot Rat a look as he smiled a little to happy at her.

"Pleasure to meet you, doll." Tig took her hand kissing the top of it. "Hope we see you around more." Jax hit him over the head and Tig turned to look at him. "What? Just getting acquainted with our new friend."

Mina laughed and waved her hand. "Well you will be seeing me. I work across the street at the coffee shop. But I hope you're all hungry! I bought chinese food for everyone."

Jax laughed and threw his arm around Mina's shoulders as the guys dispersed filling their plates before Jax and Mina filled theirs. They all noticed the connection but said nothing, leaving the two alone. Mina walked over to the stools after filling her plate, sitting down next to him.

"What's goin' on love? Thought I'd see more of you today since you were moving." Mina leaned on her elbows on the counter, smiling at him as she took a bite.

Jax smiled and leaned closer to her on his elbow, using his fork to eat the food. "I'm so sorry I ditched you here. I thought for sure I'd have the day to work on this but something came up."

Mina noticed the cut on his neck and ran her fingertips on it gently causing him to wince. "Something that had to do with this?"

He nodded putting his hand over hers on his shoulder. "Yeah. It's all taken care of now though."

She smiled and nodded at him. "That's what I like to hear." She paused for a moment watching him eat. "Jax are you seriously using a fork? Come on!" she laughed and grabbed a pair of chopsticks handing them to him.

Jax laughed and broke them apart, starting to fumble with them over his food. "This is why americans use forks!"

She laughed and shook her head. "Don't tell me you've never used chopsticks"

His smile got brighter as he shook his head. "Let's just say, I've never been a fan of the chinese."

Mina smiled and leaned closer to him placing the chopsticks in his fingers they way they were supposed to go and placed her small hand over his showing him how to use them. He wrapped his other arm around her waist from behind and watched her. "See it goes like this."

He smiled and grabbed food with the chopsticks taking a bit but his phone rang turning his attention to it. He saw Unser's number and answered. "Yeah?" His voice got serious and he jumped up off the seat alarming the rest of the guys. "I'll be right there."

"What is it?" Mina asked concerned.

"My mother attacked Tara at the hospital. I gotta go." Jax asked as his eyes turned black with anger and worry.

Mina got up and pushed him forward. "I'll help Chucky lock up later."

He nodded and ran out the door with Chibs and Bobby following him. The rest stayed behind waiting for the next move.

XXX

Jax and the guys sped to the hospital and ran up to Tara's office where he saw her crying on the floor with blood all around her. "Oh my god" He ran over to Tara who was curled up in a corner crying. He kneeled down next to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"She wouldn't let anybody else help her!" Margaret stood by the door watching the scene.

He took Tara's face in his hands gently wiping tears. "What do you want me to do?" She just shook her head and hugged him tightly.

"Get the boys to Scoops with Mina. Now!" He yelled out at Bobby, who immediately left the room. Jax sat there holding a crying Tara until they were able to put her in a room. He was forced to wait outside while they examined her but he paced back and forth until they finally let him in.

Running to her side he held his crying wife tightly. "I'm so, so sorry this happened."

She held him tightly holding him closer. "I can't be around her anymore, Jax."

"I know." He he took a deep breath as rubbed her back feeling tears run down his face.

Tara lifted up her gown to show a huge purple bruise on her lower stomach. "She kicked me in the stomach. What kind of sick person does that?"

He stared at the bruise quietly in disbelief. "Why?"

She shook her head and lowered her gown. "She thinks I'm still trying to take the boys away from her. She's so...violent." She let more tears fall. "Jax, I don't even tell you half the things that happen."

Jax looked down and shook his head. "I didn't know."

"I don't ever want her near our children again." She managed to get out in between breaths as more and more tears filled her eyes.

All Jax could do was nod. "I know."

"Promise me Jax." She begged and he nodded. "Promise me!"

"I promise." He spoke quietly look down at her teary face.

After Lowen walked in, he had no choice but to fill out the paperwork stating his mother unfit to be around the children. He needed his wife and his boys safe and this was the only way. His own mother had done this. Caused him to lose a child.

XXX

Bobby returned to the shop with the boys and let them eat some sweets around the shop before filling Mina in on what happened. "Jesus Christ." Mina whispered holding her hands on her chest. How's Jax taking it?"

He shrugged and shook his head. "Like any father would." Bobby nodded and motioned his head towards the stools where Mina joined him. Chucky brought them a cup of coffee and he took a sip watching Mina add sugar and cream to the cup. "How long have you known Jax and Chibs?" He tried his best to lighten the mood.

Mina smiled slightly and stared at her coffee before looking up at him. "I met Chibs a while ago in Belfast. I dated his nephew who looked up to him so much, I just had to meet him." She laughed lightly and shrugged. "I've only known Jax a few weeks. We've been good friends ever since."

Bobby laughed took a sip of his coffee, "Chibs nephew was a really good guy. I'm sorry he went out like that." Mina nodded and gave a sad smile. "You and Jax though. I've never seen that boy more smitten."

Mina laughed quietly and shook her head. "He's smitten with his wife and kids. He's my best friend, Bobby. I just want everything to be okay for him."

Bobby smiled knowingly at the girl, "It shows. How much you care. He needs that at this time."

Mina and Bobby sat at the shop with the boys. Thomas on her lap and Abel eating his ice cream next to her. She laughed and smiled with Abel as he fed her some of his ice cream when Jax walked in looking ready to break down.

Abel walked up to him giving him a hug. "Daddy, Mina's really nice. I like her!"

He put on the best smile he could manage as he hugged his boy. "That's good to hear. I need to talk to Mina though. Why don't you spend some time with Uncle Bobby and Chucky?" Abel smiled and ran over to the counter with Chucky. Mina nodded handing the baby to Bobby.

Jax took her hand and led her up the stairs to their new chapel room. He sat down and she sat down on chair next to him. Without a word she pulled him close into a hug. Jax wrapped his arms tightly around her digging his face into her neck as he started to cry. She stroked her fingers through his hair letting him cry it out as she held him closely against her.

Ten minutes later he pulled away from her to wipe his eyes. "She lost the baby. My mother kicked her in the stomach and caused a miscarriage."

Mina looked down holding his hands tightly in hers. "I'm so sorry, Jax."

"How could my own mother do this. My unborn baby!" He shouted as he wiped more tears from his eyes. "She's all about family yet she kills my unborn child?! She would never go this far!" he slammed his hands onto the table.

Mina thought for a moment. She'd seen Gemma with those kids. The fierceness in her motherly instinct. "Maybe you just answered your own question, Jax." She mumbled under her breath as she traced circles onto his hand.

"What?" He looked at her dumbfounded.

"You know your mother better than anyone. If you believe that she did it, then that's what it is. If you know she'd never harm your children, born and unborn, then you might have to look this over." Mina spoke quietly and soothingly.

Jax stared at the table for a long while. Everything she said made sense, but his wife wouldn't lie to him. Not about something like this. He looked up at Mina and sighed. "Mina." She nodded her head locking eyes with him. "I can't keep being around you." She continued to hold his hand and looked down nodding slowly. "I've fallen in love with you Mina. I can't be around you without wanting to be with you every second of every day. I need to focus on my wife and the loss of our unborn child. I've never been as close to someone as I have to you I shouldn't be. I need to be close with my wife again. And I don't think I can do this while I'm still around you."

Mina stared at the ground and nodded. She felt her eyes blur from unshed tears but nodded sadly. She'd fallen in love with him too. Despite every logical reason to not do it she did it. It'd happened slowly. Over all the dinners they had. The laughs they shared. The midnight movies. This was wrong. They weren't dating. They weren't together. He had a wife. A wife who'd just lost their baby because of his mother. She wanted to cry but couldn't let herself.

Taking a deep breath she nodded. "You're right. It's for the best that we don't hang out anymore. You have a wife. Beautiful boys. It's not right for me to be near you. Especially not if I'm pulling you away from them."

She stood up slowly and he did as well pulling her in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, digging her face in his chest and held onto him tightly. Lifting her chin up he locked eyes with her. She bit her bottom lip and he couldn't help himself, he lowered his head to kiss her but she placed her fingers on his lips. She kissed her fingertips over his lips and pulled away slowly, adjusting herself and wiping stray tears.

"I'll see you around Jax." She gave a sad smile before walking out the door. Jax stared at the table, slamming his hands into it multiple times before lowering his head in his hands. He couldn't believe how hard that was. How much it hurt him. She'd become one of his closest friends hell, he was closer to her in more ways then one. He wanted to be with her. Wanted to forget everything and everyone and just be with her. But he knew it had to be done. Tara and him and him had been through to much to end things now. To be with someone new.

Jax picked up Tara from the hospital once they discharged her and drove them all home. After tucking in the boys he laid in bed with her. For the first time in a long time she curled up next to him and cried. He rubbed her back and held her as close as he could. He needed to be here for her. For his family.


	7. Chapter 7

I know the last chapter was so sad but it doesn't get any better yet. We start seeing a bit more of Mina's hidden aggression due to things we learn later on. I hope you all are enjoying it! Thank you so much for the support and reviews. Keep them coming! 3

As always, I only own my OC.

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><p>Jax woke up early the next morning. He wanted nothing more than to go talk things out with Mina. Everything was weighing so heavy on his shoulders and the one person who'd allowed him to be himself, let out all his fears, all his demons, he'd made go away. He put Thomas in the high chair after feeding him his bottle. The tea kettle started to whistle and he poured it into the cup bringing it down to Tara who was laying on her side on the bed.<p>

"I made you some tea." He leaned over kissing her head.

"Thank you" She whispered lowly closing her eyes feeling his lips against her skin.

He kneeled down next to the bed holding her hand. "You should eat something babe."

She shook her head and closed her eyes. "I can't."

Jax looked down and nodded. "I'll take the boys to daycare. You need to rest."

Tara nodded and looked at him. "Jax. Why did you want Mina to watch the boys, yesterday? I don't trust her. You don't even know her."

Jax looked down and shook his head. "I trust her Tara. She's a really good woman." he took a deep breath getting up. "Don't worry, she won't be around anymore." Tara gave a satisfied nod and Jax ran his fingers through his hair. "I have to check in with the club, but then I'll come home, okay?"

"It's okay, I'll be fine." She shook her head lightly. He took her hand and gave it a soft kiss before walking towards the door.

"What are you going to do around Gemma?" He heard her weak voice and turned around.

"Don't worry about her. The restraining order keeps her away from you and the boys." He walked towards the bed again.

"Who's going to bail her out"

Jax shrugged and shook his head. "I don't give a shit." He said as he walked out the door.

XXX

Mina hadn't slept all night and got to work early to open. She parked the car and leaned against the window of the shop to smoke before having to go in. As she lit the cigarette before taking a deep inhale and blowing out the smoke. She noticed the guys up early opening up Scoops and waved at them when they look over. This was going to be harder than she thought. It would've been easier to stop thinking about him if he wasn't going to be across the street from her everyday.

She plastered a smile on her face as the guys walked over. "Hey!'

They Chibs, Bobby, and Tig all gave her a hug and kiss. "Doin' alright, girly? Looks like you haven't slept a wink." Chibs spoke up as they stood in front of her.

Mina took another pull of her cigarette and shrugged. "I'm alright. How's Jax doing?"

They looked down and shrugged. "Not doin' great" Tig spoke up.

She looked down and nodded. "You seen the paper?" Bobby asked her.

"No, why?" She shook her head before placing her cigarette between her lips as Bobby handed her the paper. Her eyes widened as she blew out the smoke. "Jesus Christ." She mumbled as she read the headline linking the club to the school shooting.

"Yeah. Just fucked us all over." Tig spoke again and Mina nodded.

The roar of a motorcycle caught their attention and they turned to see Jax drive by. Mina gave him a small smile before dropping her cigarette on the ground, stubbing it out. "I gotta get inside guys, looks like duty calls for you as well." She smiled at them reaching in her purse for the store keys. "Be safe out there."

"Always." Chibs smiled rubbing her hair before heading across the street. Mina and Jax locked eyes once more before Mina opened the door to the shop heading inside.

XXX

Jax's eyes met Mina's and she gave him a small smile. It only made him feel worse. He wanted nothing more than to go over there and talk to her like the guys were but he needed to keep his distance. He walked inside and the guys joined him. Chibs sat on the counter as Bobby and Tig sat on the stools. Everyone looking grim.

"How's Tara doin'?" Bobby asked Jax as he walked behind the counter filling a cup of coffee.

"She'll be okay." He said while letting out a breath.

Chibs looked down taking a sip of his coffee. "How are yew?"

"I don't need to talk about it." He took a sip. "Happy and Juice get back?"

Tig nodded. "Yeah. Juice is on his way."

Jax looked around at all their gloomy faces and took a deep breath before addressing the elephant in the room. "Look, the shit that went down with my mom and Tara was crazy…" He started but was cut off by Bobby.

"It's not about that." He tossed a newspaper on the counter in front of him.

He picked it up reading it over and felt a rush of anger roll over him when he read the headline. "Local Gangs Tied to Count of Aquino Shooting." Then right under it saying "Bizlats, Sons of Anarchy May Have Supplied Gun to Shooter's Mother." He walked around the counter dropping the paper on it. "Get everyone here. Chapel." This was the last thing he needed.

XXX

Mina was by herself at the coffee shop. Nobody was coming in until 4 so she had some time. The doorbells chimed and she walked to the front to see who it is. Her fake smile went away quickly when she saw Chris coming through the doors. She walked around the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fucking Christ. Why are you here Chris? What is it that you don't fucking understand?!"

"Mina," He started stepping in closer to her. "I need you to hear me out at the very least. We've been together for too long to let this and your ridiculous fling with that criminal get in our way!"

Mina took a step back and shook her head. "We are not together. We WERE together until you fucked somebody else!"

He grabbed her arms tightly and slammed her back against the counter hard. "We ARE together! So help me god, I'll get that through your thick fucking skull!" She yelled out in pain before kicking him in the knee and reaching back behind the counter to grab the baseball bat. He stepped backward holding his hands up in the air. "Put that down baby. Let's just move forward from this."

She swung hard hitting him in the arm, "GET THE FUCK OUT!" She yelled swinging again until he backed up out the door. He opened it and she hit him again in the back. He fell forward on his hands and knees before she hit him again in the legs causing him to lay down flat.

The guys were walking out the shop when they saw Mina standing over someone with the bat and ran over. "HEY! " Jax called out as they crossed the street.

Tig tried to pull her away but she shoved him off and hit the guy again. "No!" she yelled at Tig and kicked Chris in the stomach causing him to roll over on his back and she pressed the bat into his throat. "I see you around here again, I'll have your ass locked up for stalking, harassment, and assault you dirty fucking bastard!" She yelled down at his face while he held his body in pain. "Leave!" She shouted as he got up terrified as he saw all the bikers behind her and ran back to his car.

The guys stood around her shocked, impressed, some turned on, but all of them were angry that she had this douchebag bothering her. "You alright, dollface?" Tig asked putting a hand on her shoulder as they gathered around.

Mina watched his car drive off before turning to look at the guys. "I'm fine. Can I get you guys some coffee?" She smiled sweetly at them throwing them off a little more.

The guys laughed but Jax had his eyes locked on her. He was right. It was one hell of a sight and he was more than turned on watching her. It was even more impressive to see her turn a switch immediately. A smirk crawled onto his face but went away when he realized she hadn't even spared him a glance.

"Nah, we have to get going. Good to know you can handle yourself short stuff" Bobby laughed and gave her a hug.

She smiled and nodded before heading back inside. Nobody had failed to notice how cold she was towards Jax.

XXX

The club went to meet up with the Bizlats to find out they were having troubles with the police due to the headlines. Most of their guys had been locked up and they were starting to lose their tempers but there was nothing the club could do. Before they knew what was going on a blue car started driving right to them and although most of them were able to get out of the way, one of the Bizlats was run over and dragged several feet. Chibs told Jax to go home and be with Tara while they handled this. He needed to be with family.

While Jax got home he noticed the house was empty. No kids, no Tara, nothing. He walked around aimlessly before sitting on the couch to breath for a moment. His eyes catching sight of the giant stuffed giraffe that Abel loved so much and he couldn't help but smile.

His phone rang again and he walked up to the kitchen pulling a burner out of the drawer dialing the number back.

"Hey, you on a burner?" He heard Barosky's voice over the phone along with doors slamming.

"Yeah. What's going on?" He asked leaning back against the counter.

"Paterson pulled me into her office this morning. I'm standing in the mens room stalling before my police escort takes me home."

"This about the headline?"

"Yeah and about the hit and run this morning."

"Jesus Christ." Jax sighed as he leaned his head against the wall.

He got off the phone with Barosky and called Juice to get faster information on the driver. He went to open the door when Wendy was behind it. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Tara." She took a step back looking up at him.

"She's not here. And don't come to this house again." He stepped forward.

"What're you going to do?" She asked sarcastically but the trace of fear was still clear in her voice.

"I'll do whatever I have to do. There's very few people I'd ever trust my kids with and you are nowhere on that list. I suggest you get lost because our next conversation won't be so smooth." He slammed the door in her face before walking back to the couch taking a seat for a moment.

His mind wandered back to Mina. The sight of her with his boys. It was like she fit right in. They loved her. Abel wouldn't stop talking about her. It was actually pissing Tara off. He hadn't been able to say a word to her all day. Not even when they saw her beat the living shit out of some guy. He sighed and put his hands over his face, closing his eyes for a moment seeing her beautiful face and that smile.

XXX

Mina brought out coffees to the tables as Jake continued to make them and Rachel rung them up. She heard the phone ringing and saw Rachel pick it up before calling her over.

"It's Lisa from corporate." Rachel put the phone on hold with a nervous look on her face. "You should answer it in the office."

Mina bit her bottom lip and walked to the office to answer the phone. It was never a good thing when corporate called. She'd wondered if Matt had ratted on her for all the times she'd been late, or worse, someone had called them about her fight with Chris.

"Hel..Hello?" she answered nervously. "What?" Really? Oh my god, thank you! Yeah! I won't let you down. Thank you so much!" She hung up the phone and ran out to the front where Rachel and Jake were looking at her nervously.

"What? What is it? Did you get fired?!" Jake asked stepping towards her.

"No!" She said excitedly. "But Matt has been! And guess who just got promoted to manager!"

Rachel and Jake both looked at her and smiled just as excited as she was. "Oh my god congrats!" Rachel hugged her and so did Jake.

"I think this calls for some free sundays since you have the hook up at Scoops."

Mina laughed "I'm gonna run across the street, stay put."

She saw Jax's bike was still gone and let out a relieved breath. As excited as she was, she wasn't ready to run into him yet. She walked inside to see a bunch of women in sluttly clothes hanging around and laughed to herself before walking up to Chucky behind the counter.

"Hey Mina!" Chucky smiled and walked over to her.

"Hey Chucky, can I get 3 Sundays? I'll bring back the plates squeaky clean I swear!" She looked up at him with puppy eyes.

"Sure thing! Comin' right up!" Chucky went back to work.

Mina sat and waited by the counter when she noticed Bobby and Tara coming from the back.

"Mina! To what do we owe this pleasure?" Bobby smiled and walked up to her giving her a hug.

Mina hugged him back giving Tara a nod. "I just got promoted to manager. Buying my staff a sunday to celebrate!"

Tara rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as Bobby congratulated her. "What you got promoted from sucking dick to filming it?"

Mina's jaw dropped as she looked at Tara. "Excuse me?"

Bobby looked down at Tara with an irritated look and shook his head. "She doesn't work for us, Tara. She works across the street at the coffee shop."

Tara scoffed and looked the girl up and down. "You wouldn't know from the looks of it."

Mina looked down at her simple black tshirt and black skinny jeans before she cocked her eyebrow and stepped closer so she was face to face with Tara. "Look, I'm sorry for your loss. I'm hoping this is the stress talking, but I wouldn't go running your mouth to people you don't know."

Tara stepped closer so their noses were almost touching. Bobby having seen what Mina had done earlier in the day put his hands on the younger woman's shoulders so she wouldn't hurt Tara. "Or what?" Tara continued. "You're going to fuck my husband some more?"

Mina let out a sarcastic laugh and looked into Tara's eyes as Bobby pulled her away. "Woah, okay thats enough."

The doctor continued to look at Mina as the younger brunette spoke up again. "I'm not fucking Jax sweetheart. Maybe you should be less worried about me and more about the man who's done nothing but slave away to make everything right by you."

Tara slapped Mina across the face and Bobby immediately picked up Mina putting some distance between the two. Mina wiped her lip and looked at her. "If you weren't Jax's wife, you'd be in a goddamn body bag, bitch." she said calmly as Bobby held her arms.

Tara's eyes widened before she stomped out of the place. Bobby put down Mina and took her face in his hands examining her cheek. "Hey, I'm so sorry about that."

Mina shook her head and looked out the door. "Yeah. Whatever. As long as she's good to him."

He put a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "You really love him, don't you?"

She looked at Bobby then at the ground. "I'd stop if I could. It's not right."

XXX

The club had tracked down the address of the guy who'd run them over. Jax met up with them as soon as he could. Tig pointed out the guys house after Jax informed them that Barosky needed the man alive to deliver to the DA. The club understood but they were worried about the Bizlats acting up. They were waiting for the rest of their gang to join them before busting in and killing the man.

The guys watched as a black van pulled up to the front of the mans house and the Bizlats kicking down the door and running in. The Sons immediately following them to stop them. Looking around the house, it looked completely empty when one of them screamed in pain as a mad man holding a butcher knife and swinging it around at the men. Jax was able to catch his hand and headbutt him to the ground but as Fiasco, leader of the Bizlats, was throwing in a few hits, Jax looked around to see pictures of a little boy all over the living room.

"Stop! Stop!" He yelled catching their attentions. He picked up a picture off the ground and showed it to the man on the ground. "I said stop!" He pushed Fiasco off the man and the Bizlats pointed their guns at Jax while the Sons pulled their guns out to them. "His kid was at the school."

"The hell you talkin' about!?" Fiasco shouted.

"His kid!" Jax shoved the picture in his face so he could get a good look at it. He turned his attention to the man on the floor showing him the picture. "Is this your boy?"

"He WAS, you pieces of shit! You guys gave that freak the gun!" The man cried out on the floor. "You killed my babyboy!"

"Don't shoot him man." Tig shook his head looking at Fiasco.

"Look we just found out the cops know about the hit and run. You want to kill this guy in a house full of evidence? Your cars parked outside dude." Jax tried to reason with them.

"Shit!" Fiasco shook his head trying to steady his breathing. "So what now? We just let him go?!"

"His baby boy was just gunned down brother. Dead. He blames us for that. What would you do" Tig stepped forward pointing at the man.

"Goddman headlines did this man." Juice spoke up still holding his gun at the man.

They saw the man try to reach for the knife again and Jax nodded his head at Tig who knocked the guy on the back of his head. "Let's get out of here before the cops show up." Jax nodded his head towards the door causing everyone to head out. He took one more moment to look at the boys pictures. He did blame himself for it. "I'm sorry." he whispered to the guy as he walked out.

XXX

The men headed back to the ice cream shop. After the day they'd just had, they felt like shit. Bobby walked over to Jax at the counter and motioned his head for them to sit.

"What's going on?" Jax asked sitting next to Bobby.

"Tara was here earlier." He began and Jax raised an eyebrow. "Mina came in to get some ice cream for the staff and they ended up getting into it"

Jax's eyebrows flew further up his head. "Jesus Christ. What happened? What did Mina do?"

Bobby shook his head. "Wasn't Mina brother. She came in for ice cream and she told me she got promoted. Tara was the one being rude. Asked her if that meant that she could stop suckin' dick and start filming it. Called her a whore."

The blondes hands flew over his face and he ran them back over his hair. "Jesus Christ. And?"

Bobby looked down before looking back at him. "Mina told her she shouldn't talk to strangers like that. But Tara said something about you and Mina fucking." Jax lowered his head on his arms on the table and Bobby continued. "Mina told her you two weren't and told Tara that she should focus less on her and more on you because you're busting your ass to do right by your wife."

Jax lifted his head to look up at Bobby. "She said that?"

The older man nodded. "Yeah but Tara slapped her right across the face. I pulled her away so she wouldn't hurt Tara. She said if she wasn't your wife she'd be in a body bag. Feisty one, that girl."

"What the fuck is going on Bobby. Everywhere we turn, there's some shit popping off." Jax ran his hands over his face. "Is Mina okay?"

"Yeah. You should go check on her. She's probably still at the shop." Bobby nodded his head out the door and Jax nodded.

He got up and walked out the door and across the street but before he could go inside his eyes caught sight of Mina talking to another guy. He'd seen him before. He was her co worker - Jack or Jake, something like that. The guy touched her face to check it out and it drove Jax crazy. He wanted to tear off each of his fingers just out of pure envy. He heard Mina's laugh and lowered his eyes. He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to get out of there before he killed the guy.


	8. Chapter 8

Hi Loves! I will be posting through the holidays in case anybody will be here to read!

I did want to address one review in particular before beginning though. It said that this story should be marked as Tara bashing and that Jax and Tara were out of character. I personally was a fan of Tara but lost connection with her in season 6. Keep in mind that this story is through the eyes of Jax and although Tara had reasons in doing what she did, Jax did not see it that way as we see throughout the season.

Regarding them being out of character, I've been following the season plot pretty closely and all the conversations between Jax and anyone else except Mina have been word for word off of the show. Especially the ones with Tara since this was such a crucial season with them.

Anyhoodle: This is my story of how I wanted the show to go so if you don't agree with the direction there are 1.7k other Jax stories that might hit the spot for you. :)

With all that said, all the reviews have been fantastic! I am trying to please everyone while still sticking with the vision I have for the story so please hold tight with me, I do consider all suggestions and have a list of where I want things to go and how I want things to happen!

As always, I only own my OC!

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><p>Jax woke up sore the next morning. He'd hit the gym for a few hours after he'd seen Mina flirting with that guy. Logically he had no right to be upset with her. He'd been the one that told her they couldn't be near each other, but knowing that she'd so readily move on hit him pretty hard. Maybe he was an idiot to think he was the only guy she'd been interested in. Maybe she had in fact thought of him as just a friend. He couldn't even remember the last time his heart had hurt this badly. He stared at himself in the mirror. He looked like shit. He couldn't remember the last night he'd gotten a good night sleep. Oh yeah, the last night he'd spent at Mina's house.<p>

He dried off his face and hair after hearing Thomas crying in the baby monitor and went to get dressed before making him a bottle. Tara joined them as he was feeding Thomas and he handed her the baby going to make a pot of coffee. "I need to fill you in on what's been going on." He walked over to the table sitting down across from Tara.

"You sure you want to tell me all this?" She looked over at him before returning her eyes towards the baby.

"Yeah. I do." He leaned back in the seat throwing his arm back onto the chair next to him. "The reason Clay wasn't killed inside is because we need him. The Irish want him to be point for guns here in Cali. They're going to take down his transport next week and bust him out."

"Jesus Christ." Tara stared at him open mouthed. "I don't think you should tell me anything else." She stood up holding the baby in her arms.

She turned to walk away but Jax started again. "I know you're doing what you gotta do. Putting distance between us. I get it. I spent all night trying to figure out how to help you with these charges Tara."

She faced him again and sighed. "You can't."

"Yeah, I know, but I can keep my promise as a husband. To be honest. Which I haven't. I've been trying to protect you from everything. Which clearly hasn't worked. At all. But there is nothing going on between Mina and I. That attack on her yesterday was unnecessary and not what you need right now. I love you Tara." He walked up to her putting his hands on her arms softly as he leaned in to kiss her.

She pecked his lips quickly and averted eye contact. "Me too."

He took a step back slowly, speaking in a lower tone. "You know, since you got outta Stockton, you haven't been able to say I love you." She stared down at his chest, avoiding his eyes but he continued. "I know that must be hard for you. I'm sorry. I'll stop telling you. Just know it's what I feel." He stepped around her to head out the door.

XXX

Mina walked into the coffee shop at 8am for the start of her double shift. She'd decided to start this day with a new attitude. She was manager now. For once things were starting to look up. She smiled seeing the shop full of people and said Hi to Jake who was hanging out behind the counter. After putting her things in the office she walked back out to the front getting behind the counter to make drinks.

"Hey Mina, I washed those plates from Scoops yesterday if you don't mind running them back." Jake mentioned after the shop slowed down.

Mina nodded and walked over to grab them. "I will, thanks hun. Mind cleaning off those tables?" Jake nodded and grabbed a rag while Mina headed out the door and across the street. All the bikes were there and she held her breath for a moment before realizing there was no reason too. There was no hostility between her and Jax. They hadn't gotten into an argument or anything. He was just a man who wanted to focus on his family and she wasn't a homewrecker.

Scoops was quiet when she stepped inside. Chucky was behind the counter and Mina smiled softly holding out the plates. "Just dropping by to return these. Promised I'd return them cleaned."

Chucky's smile grew and took the plates from her. "Thanks Mina!"

"Feel free to drop by anytime you need anything, hun!" As she walked out the door she ran into someones chest. From the smell alone she knew it was Jax. She felt his hands on her upper arms steadying her as she took a step back smiling lightly up at him. "I'm so sorry."

He shook his head captivated once again by her smile. "It's alright, darlin'. What are you doing here?"

She ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head. "Just returning some plates I borrowed yesterday. I'm just leaving."

She smiled again turning to walk out the door but his hand slide down her arm to her hand, lacing their fingers. "I'm sorry about Tara yesterday." He spoke slowly in a sad tone.

She lowered her eyes to the floor momentarily before locking eyes with him again, "Not my first rodeo, Jax." She smiled repeating the sentence she'd said to him when they first met. Taking a minute to look him up and down she wanted to badly to ask if he was okay after seeing his weary appearance but decided against it. It wasn't her place. She pulled her hand away from him and gave him a small wave. "See you around." She nodded before crossing the street.

After walking into the shop, Jake greeted her again with a smile. "Oh, Jax was just in here looking for you. Told him you were at Scoops." She shook her head and walked over behind the counter putting some cups in the dishwasher. "Everything OK?" He asked noticing her making noise behind the counter.

Mina stopped and looked at him. "I don't know what's going on Jake. One minute he tells me he's in love with me. Next minute he tells me he can't see me because he needs to focus on his family. Now he's coming in here looking for me? It just doesn't make sense."

Jake looked down at his friend giving her a hug. "Maybe you just need a night out?"

She shook her head as she hugged him. "Bar hopping isn't my thing."

Jake smiled excitedly and looked down at her. "What if we call Rach and the three of us just hang out here for a while, have a few drinks after close?"

Mina laughed and nodded her head. "Yeah. That'd be good. Thanks Jake."

XXX

A few moments of staring at the shop Mina had walked into, he decided against going over. He needed to keep focused. Stay on track. In reality, it was all so much easier when he was with Mina. She'd lead him in the right direction and things worked out. Now he didn't know what he was doing. That didn't matter though. All that mattered was that he stayed close to Tara.

He walked inside and gave Happy a hug since he'd just gotten back. After catching up on what was going on with the gun deal and the IRA, Unser walked in asking for a moment with Jax. The rest of the guys walked upstairs to chapel while Jax walked behind the counter. "Can I grab you some coffee?"

"You, uh, got any beer back there?" Unser asked pointing at the fridge.

Jax cocked an eyebrow and smiled. "Miller time already?"

Unser laughed and pointed a finger at Jax. "Breakfast of terminally ill champions."

"Sit down." Jax laughed and walked over to the fridge giving him one of the bottles. "Hey, I want you to know. Tara told me how good you've been with her and the boys. With all the shit going on I haven't gotten a chance to say thank you, but I appreciate the looking out man.

"Oh, it's, uh, no problem." Unser waved a hand before drinking some of the beer. "You got a real nice family there son."

They tapped their drinks before each taking a sip. "Yeah, some of them." Jax mumbled.

"Right." Unser put his drink down. "Look, I know it probably ain't none of my business but I've, uh, known your mom longer than anybody.'

Jax took a deep breath. "Look I know you care about my mom Wayne.."

Unser shook his head. "It's not just that." They were both interrupted by the sound of metal hitting metal when they looked out the window to see a young girl hitting one of the motorcycles with a wrench before running over and throwing it through the window.

"Hey! Hey!" Jax called out as he started to run after her.

XXX

The girl got away after screaming rape when Jax caught up to her. Unser was getting more information on her when two police cars pulled up to inform the club that they'd have a tail until DA found someone to blame for the school shooting. Juice walked up to the guys to tell them Barosky called and needed to meet. That it was urgent. Seeing as they had a tail, Jax told them to meet him at Diosa. He took Bobby and Happy along with him.

They walked in to see that Nero had finally gotten out of lock up. After the greeting Nero asked Jax to talk before Barosky got there so they headed back to the kitchen.

"I hope it's your family you need to talk about." Jax started.

Nero leaned back on his arms on the counter looking at him. "Gemma is my family now, Mano."

"Well that's good cause I'm just about done with her."

"Yeah, I'm seeing that. Look - I know how bad this feels. But I think you should go back. Take another look. Find the truth in all of this." Nero tried to reason.

"I already know the truth!" Jax's voice got louder. Nero stood up to say something but Jax continued. "Nero.. what? You think my wife's a liar?!"

"Woah, what? I'm just saying it's a lot more complicated bro.. that you need to" Nero spoke up before getting interrupted.

"No I get it! You're in love with my mom. You're in her corner. That's your choice. But if we're going to keep doing business together, the shit that went down with me and my family is off limits." Jax said leaving no room for discussion. "Do you understand? This conversation doesn't happen again. With anyone."

Before Nero could answer Happy came in to let them know that Barosky had arrived. They walked in to see Barosky and Collette standing there looking pretty upset. Barosky filled them in on his shop being closed down due to a bullshit health violation while Collette informed them that their inspection didn't pass for unspecified reasons. That DA was going to shut down everyone in bed with them. Jax didn't miss the glances Collette was throwing over but he scoffed at her returning his attention to the matter at hand. He had let go of Mina in hopes of working things out with Tara. He wasn't going to lower himself to a two bit whore again. Diosa Del Sur was now on hold and so were their ties with Barosky due to the DA tightening the cord.

Gemma walked in as Collette and Barosky were leaving. Nobody missed the glances between Jax and her. Nero immediately walked over to where she was to try and take her to another room but Jax told him they were leaving before making it a point to tell his mother not to send Nero to do her dirty work for her. He wanted nothing to do with her regardless of what Nero had done for the club. Of course his mother had hurt his wife and their baby. Tara wouldn't lie to him about anything like this.

XXX

After paying a visit to the father of the girl who'd broken their window, Jax had called Chapel. They had figured out the perfect way to get the DA off their back and get rid of Galen for all the shit he'd done to the club. As the vote passed it was time to put a plan in motion. Jax went to meet with DA Paterson to let her know that they would deliver Galen with a shipment of guns within the next ten days, in return for immunity for the MC for all gun charges, past and present, and Tara.

After leaving the DA's office, Jax felt accomplished. He'd get Tara out free and the MC could go back onto the right track. He smiled at himself knowing how proud Mina would be. He sat on his bike for a moment contemplating calling her. Telling her everything, but he couldn't bring himself to it. As he started to drive off, his phone rang in his pocket so he pulled to the side to answer the call from Tara. He was instantly fuming when she told him Nero had stopped by to see her, calling her a liar.

Jax took Happy and Quinn with him to Diosa to have another chat with Nero. He called for Nero in the kitchen while Happy and Quinn guarded the door. As soon as Nero walked inside, Jax swung, hitting Nero in the mouth.

"I talked to Tara. I told you my family is off limits." Jax said trying to keep his voice calm.

Nero straightened up and wiped his mouth. "I just wanted to hear her side."

Jax stepped in closer, raising his eyebrows. "Is that why you called her a liar?"

"What?! I didn't call her no liar!" Nero got out before Jax grabbed him by the collar.

"You said she was a manipulative bitch!" Jax shook in anger.

Nero had enough and grabbed Jax by the shirt as well, letting his anger get the best of him. "If she told you that then I guess she is!" He shoved Jax off of him.

Fists started flying before either of them knew it. They were all over each other destroying the kitchen before Happy and Quinn came in to break it up with Gemma. "Jesus!" Gemma yelled going to look at Nero's injuries.

"I'm sorry Mama, I didn't mean for it to go down like this." Nero started wiping some blood off his nose.

Jax scoffed. "Don't be sorry! She's the reason we're trying to kill each other!"

"You have NO idea the shit she's done for you!" Nero yelled at the younger man.

"I know everything I need to know!" Jax yelled louder.

"Oh yeah?! What about the conjugal with Clay?!" Nero yelled back against Gemma's protests.

"So what happened with Clay?" Jax lowered his voice trying to catch his breath.

"The guards from the cell. They forced your mother to have sex with Clay. While they watched!" Nero continued while Gemma looked down at the ground. "While they got off!"

Jax lowered his eyes. He hadn't known anything about that. Part of him felt bad but his mother had still done the unthinkable to his family. "It doesn't matter. It's done." Gemma started before walking over to him. He didn't want her touching him so he backed up a bit but she pushed forward. "I just talked to Margaret. Who confirmed what you refuse to believe. Honey it was all a lie" She moved her head to keep her eyes locked on his. "The pregnancy, the miscarriage. Tara wants out Jax. You. The club. Charming. She's filing for divorce and she's going to take your boys away from you. From all of us. And honey I'm sorry, I love her too. But this is the truth. And if she's not going to tell you. You need to find someone who will."

Jax stared at the ground taking in all of his mother's words. Repeating them over in his head. He looked up to see her sympathetic eyes before noticing the same look on Nero. He had to find out the truth. Clearly he wasn't getting that from Tara, he couldn't believe his mother, and he couldn't believe Nero who would always back his mother. He needed to talk to Lowen. He'd get the truth out of her. Mina's words rang over and over in his head. He knew his mother more than anybody. If he believed she'd harm his child than she had but if he had doubt then he had to look at the situation again.

XXX

Mina was at the shop late with Rachel and Jake. The two were drinking while Mina had a drink or two. She wasn't in the mood. It'd been a long day. Truth be told, every day had been long since her and Jax hadn't been talking.

As Jake was telling a joke, Mina's phone rang and she saw Jax on her caller ID. She stood up stepping away from them to answer the phone. "Jax? Everything okay?" She asked after hearing heavy breathing over the phone.

"Mina. I need you." His gruff voice over the phone caused more concern.

"Jax where are you?" She asked more alert now.

"At your house."

"There's a key under the mat. Go inside. I'll be right there." She quickly hung up the phone and turned to Rach and Jake who were looking at her with concerned eyes. "I gotta go. Please be sure to lock up!" She ran to the back to grab her bags before running out to the car to drive home.

She saw Jax's bike parked sloppily in the driveway and pulled up behind it before getting out and running inside. She put her purse down and looked around the house to hear the shower running in the bathroom. Slowly making her way over she heard the shower turn off and opened the door to see Jax drying off and wrapping a towel around his waist. She opened the door a little more getting his attention and she could see by the look on his face that he'd been crying.

Jax sat on top of the toilet seat as tears started to form around his eyes again. Mina walked over dropping to her knees in front of him, cupping his face gently to wipe his tears before he pulled her close, digging his face into her hair, letting go of everything and crying into her shoulder. She held him close to her, tracing her fingertips down his back as her other hand stroked his hair. "It's okay. I'm here darling'. It's going to be okay."

She let him cry it out for as long as he needed and just sat on the floor holding him. When he was ready he pulled away slowly and she saw the extent of the damage on his face. She wasn't going to ask just yet. She got up slowly grabbing some disinfectant and butterfly bandages and patched up the large cut he had around his eye. "Why don't you go lay down, hmm?" She asked as she softly ran her fingers through his hair. He nodded slowly looking at her with grateful eyes. "You hungry? I'll whip us up some dinner."

He nodded again and she got up to head to the kitchen. Jax put on his boxers and headed to her bedroom. He looked around and it actually made him smile how much it resembled Mina. He pulled back the covers and let his body drop onto the bed before burying himself underneath the covers. He was surrounded by her scent and a soothing tranquility hit him. He felt safe. Like nobody could touch him when he was with her.

The way she accepted all of his flaws. The way she knew how to handle him at his worst. He couldn't believe he had so willingly let go of the most perfect human being he'd ever met over a liar. A liar who would use the heartache of a miscarriage as a plot to get his mother deemed an unfit grandparent. He was still so fucking angry with Tara, but as angry as he was being in this house made him calm.

Mina walked in a short while later with a beer and sat on the edge of the bed smiling softly at him as she offered him the drink. He sat up slowly leaning his back against the headboard as he took the beer. "Thanks." he managed to say in a rough voice from all the yelling all day.

She nodded slowly, sitting cross-legged over the bed looking at him. "I'm making pasta. I think you'll like it." She spoke quietly keeping a smile on her face.

He reached over taking her hand in his, pulling her closer. She scooted closer holding her hand in his. "I'm sorry." He looked into her eyes.

She shook her head. "Don't be." He had nothing to be sorry for. There was nothing he did wrong. She still should've been keeping her distance but the sound of his broken voice saying "I need you" had her running to him.

"It was all a lie, Mina." He played with her fingers, leaning forward on the bed to be closer to her. "All of it was a lie. She was never pregnant. She just used a miscarriage to make me sign paperwork waiving my mother's custody of the boys. She's filling for a divorce and custody. Tara wants to take everything from me."

His voice started shaking with anger again as he kept his eyes on her tiny hands fitting perfectly into his. Mina listened to him carefully. She knew something was fishy about this entire situation. Gemma would never cause harm to any of Jax's boys. let alone his pregnant wife. She ran her fingers back and forth through his before speaking quietly. "So what happens now?"

Jax shrugged as he threw his head back against the headboard. "I don't know. Part of me wants to kill her. The other part is just so hurt that she would go to that length to get me to sign something I never would otherwise. I don't know what to do now."

Mina nodded in understanding. "If she'd go that far to frame Gemma, imagine how far she'd go to frame you for the courts, Jax. Maybe it's best if you do grant her the divorce. Get joint custody of the kids?" '

He looked at her and shrugged. "That would be two failed marriages."

She laughed lightly and shook her head. "Aside from that, what would be the pro's and cons of divorce?"

He sat quietly for a moment. "Con: she'd leave the state and I'd be far away from my boys. Con: I'd be losing my high school sweetheart. Pro: My boys would probably be safer. They wouldn't know much of this life. Tara would be happier. I'd get to be with you. I'd be happier." He looked up into her eyes.

Her eyes widened as a blush swept across her cheeks. "You'd want to be with me?"

He nodded and leaned in kissing her hand. "If you'll have me. I saw you last night with that guy you work with Mina. It drove me fucking nuts. And the way your ex keeps coming around. I'm going to fucking kill him next time he's near you. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. Everything about you. I meant what I said Mina. I'm in love with you. I don't know how or when it happened but it did."

Mina smiled and gave his hand a soft squeeze. "We'll cross that bridge when the time comes, just know I'm in love with you too Jax" She got up off the bed, pulling her hand away slowly and nodded her head towards the door. "But there you have your pros and cons of signing that divorce paperwork. I'm sure you have plenty to hold over Tara's head if she tries to fight for full custody." She smirked and held her hand out for him. "Foods ready."

Jax took her hand with a smirk and followed her to the kitchen. As bad as his day had gone, he knew she'd make it all better. He'd done exactly what he knew she would. Exactly what he needed. She'd laid everything out for him to think clearly not just out of anger. How could he have ever been so stupid as to let her go before.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry I'm so late with this! I had zero chances to finish this chapter until literally right now. It's been so hectic with my boyfriends family, my family, and my birthday the day after Christmas but I will have a new chapter tomorrow. I'm sorry if this is kind of lame, it's the best I could get out today!

Let me know what you think and if you want Tara to live or die. I have so many scenarios for both options and I haven't necessarily made up my mind yet because I do want the story to go into Season 7 as well!

As always, I only own my OC!

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><p>Jax woke up in Mina's bed the next morning but she wasn't there. He laid there a few more minutes basking in her scent. Everything about this woman was so right. How could he have wasted so much time on Tara. All these years of her pushing out and just when he thought she'd accepted her role in the club she goes and pushes away further. Mina seemed to have swooped in and made sense of everything. He was seeing everything so clearly for the first time. She wasn't forcing him to make decisions he didn't want or pressuring him in anyway. He wanted to do things right to make her proud. She was actually proud of him for things he'd been accomplishing. That's what he needed. Something positive when everything had gone to shit.<p>

He got up and walked out into the living room to see Mina asleep on the couch. He laughed to himself knowing the night before they'd been watching a movie in her bedroom. She must've gotten up to sleep on the couch after he fell asleep. She was actually serious about not sharing a bed with him. He felt bad knowing she had work later on so he went to the bathroom to piss before making breakfast. He couldn't believe how in love he was with someone who he hadn't had sex with yet. Shit.. with someone he hadn't even kissed yet, but here he was making breakfast for her because he felt bad for taking her bed.

He poured the pancake batter in the pan and bacon in another. While everything was being made he walked around the kitchen checking out photos on the fridge, schedules, then his eyes caught a pile of envelopes on the kitchen table. He checked to make sure he was still asleep he decided to be nosey and take a look. Bill after bill made his eyes widen. Chibs hadn't been lying when he said her mother had fucked them over. Shit if he was in that much debt he'd have put a bullet in his head by now.

Jax heard a door close and quickly put the bills back into their envelopes before going to see who it was. Upon entering the living room, he'd noticed she wasn't laying on the couch and looked at her bedroom door to see it was shut. He smiled at her shyness and went back to the kitchen making a plate for them and setting it on the table.

Mina had changed out of her pj's and put on a pair of sweatpants and a wife beater tank top, before brushing her teeth and combing her hair. She could care less about putting on makeup around him, it wasn't like he hadn't see her look sloppy before. She could smell the delicious scent coming from the kitchen and made her way over. Smiling as she saw a shirtless, Jax with just jeans on over his boxers. "Good morning."

Jax turned over and looked at her with a smile, handing her a cup of coffee. "Morning."

She took the cup and had a seat at the table. "You didn't have to do all this hun, but thank you it looks great."

"Least I can do, darlin'" he smirked at her as he took a bite of his bacon. "I need to go apologize to my Mom and Nero." he looked down at his plate as he took another peice of bacon.

She raised an eyebrow eating some of her pancake. "Apologize for what?"

"Calling them a liars. Fighting with Nero for trying to tell me the truth. Calling my mom sick and twisted." He sighed.

She ate a piece of bacon and nodded. "They'll understand. They're your family, Jax."

He nodded and looked up at her. "Can I ask you a favor?" She looked up at him expectantly and he continued. "I can't be at that house with her yet. I'm not ready. Would you mind if, uh, I stayed here for a bit? Just until I figure this out."

Mina nodded and got up softly, putting her empty plate in the sink. "That's fine with me love. I don't mind the company."

Jax got up and gave her a kiss on the cheek before putting his plate in the sink. "I'll go over there and pack. I'll see you later?"

She smiled and tossed the shirt he'd left on the counter at him. "Always."

XXX

Jax got to the house while Tara was still asleep. He filled a backpack and duffel with his clothes and walked over to Thomas' room. Holding his son, he smiled at how happy they looked. The thought of them growing up in this life, the hate that came with it, it bothered him. He was a Son, born and bred, but his sons didn't have to be. He carried Thomas to Abel's room and watched him toss and turn in his bed. Abel had already been through so much in his 4 years. He'd already been kidnapped and now most recently been through an explosion, this isn't the life he wanted for them. This was the one thing he could agree on with Tara.

The door opened and a panicked Tara walked in the room calling for Abel. Jax turned around slowly looking her up and down with spite.

"You should let him get some sleep." He spoke as calmly as he could making his way to the kitchen still holding Thomas. Tara followed on his heels and he handed Thomas to her carefully. She cooed at the baby before lowering her eyes to the ground averting eye contact with him. "There'll be someone watching you. Don't try to take them anywhere." He spoke again zipping up his backpack.

"What are you going to do?" Tara asked, watching him carefully.

Jax threw his bag over his shoulder and shook his head. "I don't know. I can't see anything right now. But if I don't put some distance here, someone's going to get hurt." He looked her over one more time before leaving the house. He made the call and put West on duty for the day to follow Tara everywhere she went. He wasn't ready to make anything final just yet and he knew if he didn't have someone tail her she'd leave as soon as he'd left the house.

He dropped off his bags at Mina's using the spare key she'd let him have. As he looked around he realized she'd already gone to work so he made his way to her bedroom leaving his bags in. He laughed to himself seeing her clothes all over the floor, Tara had always kept the house really clean or his mother would chew her ass off, but in a way it felt liberating knowing his mother hadn't dug his claws into this one yet.

Desperately needing to clear his mind, he decided to go for a ride. If it was one thing he didn't want, it was to make this decision based off of his feelings for another woman. Mina had so quickly consumed his whole life but was he ready to leave his wife? The woman he'd been in love with since high school? It seemed like a pretty big jump. Hell before her he never thought he'd ever be in love with someone else. He hadn't when Tara was gone for ten years. Not once did he open up to anyone and now here was Mina.

He drove for a while before parking his bike and walking for a bit. He walked past the school that was the scene of the school shooting. He sat down at in the church for a little while. Everything that had gone on from the time Tara had gotten back until now played like a movie over his head. He knew there was still so much love between them, but at the same time, they knew they couldn't be what the other person needed. Tara had completely detached herself from the club and the club was who/what he was. He was now president. A lot of shit weighed on his shoulders and he needed someone who'd be there. Deep down this had nothing to do with Mina and everything to do with the destruction of what was once the best thing in his life.

XXX

Mina had been working in the office non-stop. Jax had texted her earlier to let her know that he'd dropped off his bags and made sure to lock up after himself. Rachel walked back into the office with a light knock on the door to get her attention. When Mina turned to look, Rach had a nervous expression on her face.

"What is it?" Mina put her pen down and stood up stepping closer to the girl.

Rachel bit her lip nervously and looked up at Mina. "Sheriff Roosevelt is outside. Said he needs you to go with him."

Mina's face scrunched in confusion as she walked past Rachel outside of the shop to the officer. "What can I do for you sheriff?"

Sheriff Roosevelt adjusted the glasses covering his eyes before holding his hand out to shake hers. "Ms. Viera. I don't think we've ever formally met. Please. Call me Eli."

Mina put on a light smile shaking the sheriffs hand. "Pleasure. What can I do for you?"

"I actually need you to follow me to the station. DA Patterson wants a word with you." He stood up straighter.

Mina crossed her arms over her chest as her eyebrows flew up her forehead. "For what?"

The sheriff shook his head. "I was just told to come get you, Miss. I doubt you'd be a fan of riding in the back of a cop car."

She laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, no. I'll follow you down. Give me a minute." She ran inside to grab her bag and her keys before heading to her car to follow Eli to the station.

After waiting a few minutes the place started to sketch her out. She'd have to wait like this late nights when she'd have to bail her mother out for countless reasons when she was younger. She looked at each person going in and out and wondered what their story was.

"Ms. Viera. Please follow me." She heard a prestigious older woman say. She noticed the woman in her skirt suits and fancy jewelry looking well put together and figured this was Patterson, so she stood up and started walking with her. "I'm Tyne Patterson, DA."

Mina put her hands in her pocket as she followed the older woman into an office where she shut the door behind them. "I'm guessing you already know me." she said as she sat down in the seat across from the desk that Paterson had motioned her too.

Patterson nodded folding her arms over her desk. "I do know you. All about you actually, but I'm more interested in your relationship with the Sons of Anarchy."

The young woman laughed and leaned back in the seat. "There is no relationship. We're all just friends with a love for coffee and ice cream."

The DA smirked and pulled out a folder. "Very cute, Mina. Lets take a look at you for a second shall we?" She opened the folder in front of Mina spreading the paperwork across the desk. " 4 priors while you were still a minor. Several cases of assault with a deadly weapon. All on your mothers boyfriends at the time. Abandoned by your father when you were 7. Alcoholic mother that had a terrible gambling problem. Moved around city to city with your sister. Now tell me Mina, why is it that you can't settle into one place? Is it because of this incredible debt you still owe on behalf of your mother?"

Mina's eyes flashed dark, she didn't speak, nor raise her eyes to look anywhere but the folder where mugshot after mugshot of her were spread. She cringed looking at her bruised faces in the pictures but she bit her lip tightly so she wouldn't make a sound.

Patterson saw she struck a nerve and smirked to herself while pulling out another folder containing pictures of her with Jax. Some at the shop, others of Jax in front of her house, some of her at Scoops. "Now I know there's more going on between you and Jax Teller than you're letting on. Does Mrs. Teller know about this?" Again, Mina said nothing. "Now Ms. Viera, lets cut to the chase. What and who you get in bed with is not my business, but I do want to make you a deal. You give me information on the MC and we make your dues disappear. You could start fresh, do what you wanted with your life. Finish college. Anything you want. A whole new life for you and your sister."

The young woman burst out laughing which immediately irritated Patterson. "Listen, thanks for the offer but I'm going to decline. I know nothing about the MC. Jax and I are friends, and on everything I love, if you even touch my finances without my written consent I will throw your ass in court so fast that pretty little law degree will be nothing but a distant memory." Mina stood up putting her hands flat on the table as she leaned forward to look down at Patterson. "Maybe you should keep the deal you already have going. It'll be the only one you got." She smirked at the woman before heading out the door leaving Patterson stunned. The Sons of Anarchy were the scum of the Earth but the one thing they did have was a loyal circle.

XXX

Jax went to Collette's to meet up with Nero regarding the approval for Diosa Del Sur. It seemed Patterson was holding up her end of the bargain. Collette continuously tried pushing against him, playing with his hands. He brushed it all off. The last thing he needed was another distraction to the real issue. While telling Nero that he needed to spend some time out of the house to get his head together, Collette took the opportunity to try to lead him upstairs to show him one of the rooms.

As they started walking up the stairs, the front door opened to let in the rest of the club followed by his mother. They all gave him a weary look for following the madam upstairs but Jax ignored them.

"Hey, what's going on?" He said as he walked back down the stairs with Collette on his heels.

"I got a Clay thing." Gemma spoke up.

"We got an Irish thing." Chibs followed after with a sigh.

Collette lifted her arms motioning to a room. "Use my office." Jax nodded his head and the rest of the club followed him into an empty living room where they all sat down.

"Clay wants to see me." Gemma said as she entered the room. "Lawyer said he can get me in this afternoon."

Jax leaned forward with his elbows on his knees " Did he say why?"

Gemma shook her head sitting next to her son. "Papers he wants signed. Something like that. Probably just an excuse for another sit down."

He nodded and turned his attention to Chibs. "What's going on with the Irish?"

"Galen's in town. Says we have to see him. Nor-U-Bev. 20 minutes." The scotsman answered.

"Got any idea what it might be?" Bobby asked Jax and the younger man shook his head no.

Happy mentioned that they should get going due to bad traffic but Jax spoke up again. He needed to get this out. "I got something I need to tell you an Nero."

"You want us to split?" Tig asked as the guys started to get up.

"No." Jax said quickly as they all sat again. "I want you to hear this too." Once everyones attention was on him, he spoke again. "I talked to Lowen last night. I got some truth about what happened with Tara. She was never pregnant. Tara set up my mom… made it look like a miscarriage so that I would sign off on Gemma never becoming legal guardian of our sons. She wants to divorce me." He sat up a little straighter, taking a deep breath. "She wants full custody and she was going to split."

"Jesus." Bobby spoke up still processing everything Jax had just said. "What about jail?"

Jax shrugged, leaning forward again on his knees. "Well, if she served time, she was going to make sure Wendy became guardian and that she got my sons out of Charming." He paused for a moment, looking at the ground before turning to face Gemma. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

Gemma shook her head whispering quietly. "How could you?" She leaned forward taking her sons hands in hers. "I'm so sorry honey."

He nodded grateful that his mother accepted his apology before turning to look at Nero. "I'm sorry man."

"I know, Mano. It's okay." Nero nodded stepping closer.

He explained the situation to the club about not wanting her alone. Until he could get his head on straight, Tara was not going anywhere unattended. After Juice offered to take watch, the group got up to head over to Galen.

XXX

Mina was on register when Jax walked into the shop. It was pretty busy today so she smiled at him and mouthed "Give me a minute" while she took the orders for Jake to make. She didn't miss the look Jax shot the man before he smiled at Mina and walked over to a table to sit. After finishing with the line, she walked over to Jax, bringing him a cup of coffee. "Hey you. Rough day?"

Jax smiled gratefully at her while taking the coffee and nodded. "To say the least. I dropped the things off at your house, took a ride, got pulled into some club business." She nodded and drank some of her coffee. "Can we go talk outside for a minute?"

Mina nodded and they made their way outside. He nodded his head towards Scoops and she walked across the street with him. Leaning against the shop window, she pulled out a box of cigarettes and handed him one before lighting one for herself. "What's up?"

He lit his and took a long pull blowing out the smoke. "My stepfather, Clay, he's getting broken out of county tomorrow during a transport. We're going to intervene. Get Clay to Galen with the shipment of guns. I need you there." He raised his eyes from the ground to look into hers.

Mina took a pull and blew it out listening to his words. Her eyes locked on his as she took a minute to process everything. "You need me for what, Jax?" Her serious tone came out loud and clear.

Jax took a deep breath and took one of her hands in his. "Because I'm going to kill the guy who's raised me since I was 16. I need you by my side."

Mina took a deep breath and stared down at their hands held tightly together. He needed her involved in a murder. In club business for fucks sake. She'd seen a lot of shit in her life but to have someone murdered in cold blood in front of her was something entirely different.

"Mina. I know this is asking a lot, but this is something I have to do. He's done too much to my family, to my club, for me to let him walk away." he placed his hand under his chin lifting her head to face him. She took another pull at her smoke and blew it out playfully in his face. She simply nodded and he smiled gratefully. "I'm going to marry you one day." he whispered as he leaned in giving her a kiss on the forehead."

She laughed and shook her head. "With your track record, maybe a ring would just ruin it." He laughed and wrapped his arms around her neck giving her a hug when she felt hands on her hair yanking her away from him and onto the ground. All of a sudden she saw Tara jump on top of her and Mina blocked her face as she started throwing punches before Mina took a hard swing knocking the doctor on her ass and jumping on top of her. Jax grabbed Mina off of Tara and checked her face to make sure she was okay before turning to Tara. "What the hell is your problem!?"

"You stupid peice of shit!" Tara screamed slapping him hard across the face before storming down the street. Chibs quickly ran outside followed by Tig after seeing the whole interaction. As Chibs checked on Mina, Tig shooed away the crowd before walking with the other two inside.

"What the 'ell happened out there?!" Chibs asked before yelling over to Chucky to get a pack of ice.

Mina shrugged and thanked Chucky for the ice placing it on her lip. "I don't know, one minute Jax is asking me to be there tomorrow when you guys get Clay, next minute I'm on the ground with that crazy bitch on me."

He sighed as he put an arm around her shoulder pulling her into a hug. "You okay?"

She held the ice pack to her lip and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Jax came in and walked straight to Mina. "You alright? I'm sorry about that. "

She waved her hand ignoring the question. "Jax, I get you need time to figure your shit out with her, but this is the second time she's put her hands on me. Next time it happens, I won't give a fuck that she's the mother of your kids." She threw her ice pack at him before walking out to go back to work.

Jax stared in awe at the door Mina walked out of before looking at Chibs with his mouth still opened. Chibs laughed and put his hand on his presidents shoulder giving it a squeeze. "I don't know how you get yourself in this shit, brother."

XXX

Jax finished everything up early and headed to Mina's. Clearly she'd needed time to cool off after that and he didn't need to get his ass chewed out twice in a matter of minutes. He just hoped she'd still go with him tomorrow. He didn't know if he'd be able to go through with it if she wasn't there. As much hate as he had for that man, he'd still been a father figure when he needed it most, but he'd crossed the line and needed to be dealt with.

He walked inside and heard the shower running. He wanted to jump in there with her, take care of both of their stress, but he knew she'd have the door locked. He was getting a little annoyed that he'd been over her house countless times and not once even seen her naked. Truth be told, since he hadn't gotten laid in a while now. Knowing that Mina was naked just beyond the door drove him crazy. He knocked lightly on the door. "Hey, I'm here." He said as he went into her bedroom to change into sweats and a clean t-shirt before walking to the kitchen to grab a beer.

A few minutes later the door opened and she came out in nothing but a towel wrapped around her. Her damp hair hung low down her back as she started to brush it. When she turned her back to walk into the bedroom, he noticed she had a tattoo on her back just below her neck. How had he never noticed that before? All this time he'd admired her body through clothes he'd never been able to see what was lying underneath.

She came out of the bedroom in cropped leggings and an off the shoulder sweatshirt, her long hair down her back as she walked into the kitchen grabbing a beer and heading out to the living room taking a seat next to him. She was still so mad that it had now been two times Tara had hit her. At least this time she got a good swing at her.

Jax turned over and put his hand on her cheek, running his thumb over her split lip. "I'm so sorry." he said, staring at her lip. Even busted, he wanted nothing more than to lean in and kiss her.

Mina shook her head and licked her lip wincing at the cut. "Its fine."

He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, placing one hand on the back of her head as she laid it on his shoulder. "Thank you. For not hurting her. I know if it was anyone else you would have."

She sighed and nodded, pulling away from the hug. "Yeah. What ended up happening?"

He shook his head and took a pull of his beer. "She's lost it. All because of me. She would've had such a good life with the right guy. Now she's facing jail time and being manipulative and violent because of the life I've dragged her into."

Mina watched him as he spoke. "Jax, you're right. You are. But like you said, she's extremely smart. She knew exactly what she was getting into when she got with you. Some people don't have a choice but she did. You can't take all the blame for that. You were being you, she had a chance to go away and came back. She got out. She knew what getting back in meant. And it's unfair for you to feel bad for ruining her life when she did it to herself." She ranted getting angrier.

He looked up at her hand took her hand, lacing their fingers tightly. "What's the tattoo on your back?"

She stared at their hands and rubbed small circles with her thumb. "It's a dreamcatcher. Goes down to about mid back."

His eyebrows cocked and he leaned his head back trying to see her back. "Must of hurt like a bitch."

She laughed and nodded. "Took forever to complete."

"Is that your only one?" He asked, now more interested in exploring her beautiful marked body.

She shook her head, "Nope."

He smirked and leaned in closer. "What are the others?"

She got up and headed towards the kitchen. "What do you want for dinner, Teller?" She changed the subject as he followed her in. She didn't want to get to that level with him. Yes they were close. Yes, they were getting more and more domestic. However, she needed to keep some things scared. Her body and her bed weren't something she'd ever shared easily. Especially with married men. She couldn't even begin how important that was to her. Seeing her mothers failed relationships. All the scumbag men she'd bring home at all hours of the night that would try to get into her room or her sisters when they were done with her mother. She wouldn't stand for that. She knew what type of man Jax was. Knew how fucked his life was. Knew his history with women. She wasn't delusional by any means on the type of man Jax Teller was. But he had a heart. A caring soul that struggled day by day. That wasn't something she could abandon. Regardless of how his relationships ended. Maybe it was stupid of her, but maybe it was just what she needed to get out of her own bubble.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry I didn't get one up on Friday guys! Spending that much time with my family makes me think of things going on in reality and really bums my creativity lol. Now that that's over, I will go back to posting everyday.

Let me know what you think!

As always, I only own my OC.

* * *

><p>Jax drove to Mina's job the next afternoon. It was time for their plan to go down and he needed Mina to be there. He had so much hate for Clay but at the same time that was the father figure that made him the man he was. Some people would say that wasn't a good thing, but in this life, in their world, it was.<p>

As he parked the bike outside of Scoops, he noticed Mina's ex hanging around the outside again. He looked beat to shit but Jax had to admit he was persistent. He opened the door to Scoops and whistled for Rat to join him outside. Rat was told to get him away from the shop then tie him up and bring him to the warehouse, he'd deal with him later. He watched as Rat handled Chris before walking inside the shop. When he didn't see Mina, Rachel told him he could go to the back office which he did immediately. He needed to see her after the day he'd already had.

Knocking on the door, Jax opened it slowly to see Mina quickly drying her eyes. A flash of concern immediately came over him and he made his way towards her wrapping his arms around her tightly. "Hey. Hey, it's alright. What happened, babe?"

Mina dried her eyes and took a deep breath to gather herself as she hugged him back. "It's nothing, Jax. You ready to go?"

She put on another one of her smiles but at this point he could tell which ones were fake. "Is it cause Chris was here again?!" He asked getting a bit angrier.

"Chris is here?" Her body tensed up as she pulled away from the hug.

"What? No, I was asking you if he bothered you today." He lied, knowing he'd make sure he'd never be near her again.

Mina sighed and pulled out her pocket mirror from her bag and fixed her makeup. "No, hun. Just been a rough day. Can we head out?"

She stood up to go towards the door but he cupped her face making her look at him. "Mina, you take so much of my shit. You need to start telling me some of yours. I see it everyday. How worn you are. How miserable you are. Regardless of how much you try to hide it. I'm here for you to talk to me, babe. This isn't all one sided, I promise."

She shook her head and leaned in kissing his cheek. "There's just too much going on with you for me to burden you with my problems, Jax. Or anyone else for that matter. I got it covered."

He sighed and looked down into her eyes. "Nothing you do is ever a burden to me."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Mina smiled gratefully before taking his hand, leading him outside. She walked to her car and he opened the door for her. "I'll follow you guys up." Jax nodded before gathering up the guys in Scoops and heading on their way.

XXX

Jax sat in the truck with Juice waiting for the 'go' call from Conner. He looked over to see Juice zoned out staring outside the windshield.

"Hey...Juice?" He said, getting Juice's attention. "You here?"

"Yeah" Juice replied as Jax gave a slight nod turning to face front again. "I'm not having a breakdown, man."

Giving him a sideways glance, Jax shook his head. " I didn't think you were."

"Chibs and some of the others, they're worried." Juice continued.

"Should they be?"

"No." Juice looked down at his lap. "Just feels different. I feel different."

Jax noded looking out of the window. "Yeah. I get that."

"I got to feel like I'm doing something right, Jax." He shook his head, turning to look at Jax. "Not like 'right or wrong' kind of right, but … I got to feel like I'm.. I'm..

"Like you're one of the good guys." Jax finished his sentence.

Juice nodded in agreement. "Yeah." He paused for a moment. "I used to know how to find some of that."

Jax thought for a moment about what Juice was saying. In a way it all made sense. He was always looking for the good in everything they did. The good in himself, that regardless of the countless murders they'd committed or the laws they'd broken, they were good people. That he was a good guy. Not many people saw him as one. Tara had. Now she saw him as nothing but a monster. But Mina. She still did. She was leading him to everything that was right. He wanted to do right just to be the good man she believed he was. It was too late for him to change Tara's mind about him, but not Mina.

He looked to Juice who was still expecting an answer and gave him a small smile. "You still can." The phone rang and Jax answered to get news from Conner to tell them there was only one chaser and five total. He hung up and looked over at Juice. "That was Conner. Their en route. Transport, only one follow vehicle. Five guys."

"Cool." Juice nodded before honking the horn to let the others know it was time.

The first car took off and Jax turned to Juice. "After this, brother, it's all white hats and tight pussy."

"Yeah." Juice nodded with a smile before taking off.

They watched as the first truck took out the vehicle following the transport truck. The other 4 jumped into action to block the truck in.

Jax jumped out of the car and walked to the head of the truck pointing his gun at the driver. "Let him out! Nobody gets hurt!"

"I got news for you shitheads!" One of the guards yelled. "This thing's a tank!"

He smirked under his face mask and shot the two bottom corners of their windshield, causing it to break before pointing the gun at the guards again. "Open the door!"

Tig walked to the side of the door and demanded the guards give them the keys before handing them over to Jax who ran to the back unlocking the door. He pulled down the face mask and smirked at Clay's surprised face.

"Where the hell are the Irish?" Clay asked.

"In Ireland." Jax said coldly before getting into the truck to uncuff the older man and got him in their truck where they headed out. One of the sheriffs pulled out a gun and shot through the truck glass shooting Bobby in the shoulder. "Shit!" Jax yelled as Juice stepped on the gas running over the cop.

XXX

They drove to the airstrip where Mina was waiting with a few prospects. The doorway opened the the truck pulled in everyone including Mina jumped to attention. As soon as Jax got everything settled with Chibs he walked over to Mina.

His hands shaking he pulled her in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around his body and rubbed his back gently. "What happened?"

Jax pulled away slightly to look at her face. "Bobby got shot. It's pretty bad. We're waiting on Tara to come take care of it."

Mina held her breath when Tara's name got mentioned but if she could help Bobby she'd suck it up. "I'm going to see him." She pulled away from the hug to walk towards the truck but Jax grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. Her eyes caught the man with white hair and a black shirt on and returned back to Jax. "I'll be there when you're ready okay?" He nodded and she walked over to the truck, seeing Bobby laying on the floor. Smiling softly, she kneeled down beside him "Hey you. How're you feeling?"

Bobby gave a low chuckle followed by a groan. "Like I got shot."

She laughed lightly and moved some of his hair out of his face. "Seems that what happened." she smiled again and held his hand tightly. "You'll be okay old man. You're a tough cookie."

He laughed again and nodded. "You sure know how to keep one motivated don't you."

Mina leaned next to him against the wall. "Everyone has a reason to keep breathing, Munson. Some just need a little reminder."

Jax knocked on the door to let Mina know it was time and she gave Bobby's hand a squeeze "Hang in there champ." She whispered before heading out the door. Jax took her hand in his, giving Bobby a nod before walking over with Mina.

"So that's Clay." She nodded her head towards the man in the black shirt then towards the man in the suit. "And that's Galen?' Jax nodded. "Whats the plan here Jax?"

Jax stared at them while whispering to Mina. "They both have need to die."

Mina grabbed his hand and shook her head. "Jax." He turned his head to look at her. " Galen is part of the deal with the DA. He dies, the clubs immunity goes out the window." He turned his eyes from her and she pushed on. "So does Tara's deal."

Jax sighed and nodded. He knew she was right. Goddammit, she was always right. She placed a hand on his cheek, turning his gaze back to her, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "What's more important, darlin'? The Club? Your wife? Or Revenge? You know Patterson won't go through with the deal if you deliver him dead."

Her words rang over and over in his head. He smiled lightly at her and kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back." He walked away to tell the rest of the club, when they agreed, he gave Mina a nod and walked to the room with the club. "Gentlemen." Jax started as Clay walked in giving Galen a hug.

"Good job, Jackson." Galen said and right there it took all of Jax's energy not to shoot him in the head but he felt Mina's soft hand on his back, rubbing it gently. He stepped inside the room, leaving Mina at the doorway and when Galen stepped forward to shake his hand Jax pulled the gun shooting out both of his kneecaps while Tig and Chibs shot the other two Irishmen.

Mina jumped slightly and covered her mouth but couldn't let herself freak out now. She'd made a promise to Jax and she was going to stick with it. She took a few deep breaths and stoned her face again so she couldn't show emotion. It was scary how quickly she could shut down. She'd perfected it over the years. Jax looked over his shoulder at her to make sure she was okay and she smiled with a nod.

"Jesus Christ." Clay said looking at all the men in the room and breaking Jax's gaze on Mina.

"We had a vote." He said looking at the grey haired man. "Decided this had to happen."

A horn outside caught their attention and the men walked out of the room to check it out Juice was standing at the doorway and let them know it was Gemma and Tara. Jax shot a look over to Mina before nodding at Juice to unlock the door letting them in.

Tig walked up to him leaving Clay behind them. "How's this all going to play out with Nero, Gemma, Tara and Mina?"

Jax looked at him and nodded. "Same way. I need Mina here. The rest can look after Bobby." Tig nodded and Jax put an arm around Mina's shoulder as they watched Gemma's car pull in followed by Rat Boy.

The women immediately got out of the car followed by Nero. Tara's eyes immediately ran over to Mina, Gemma smirked, and Nero looked confused as it was his first time seeing her. Jax paid no mind to any of the interactions, slowly pulling away from Mina leading Tara to the truck where Bobby was in. Tara walked right past Mina with Gemma following, shooting Mina a smile before turning her attention to Bobby.

"Oh Jesus." Gemma said covering her mouth.

"Yeah I need some help." Tara stated from the truck after getting a good look at Bobby.

Jax turned his head to face Juice. "Juice." the younger man walked over to him "Help Tara." Juice got on the truck to work with Tara and he turned his attention to Gemma and Nero. "Thank you." She nodded.

Nero nodded and Gemma looked at him, "Everybody else okay?"

"Yeah," Jax nodded.

She turned her head to look at Mina who was talking to Chibs off to the side. "And her?"

Jax looked at Mina and a small smile played on his lips. "She's good. I need her here." Gemma smirked and placed a hand on her sons arm before turning her attention back towards Bobby. Clay walking over turned their attention to him. Jax gave his mother a nod before walking back over to join Mina and Chibs. He watched the conversation with his mom and Clay closely before walking over to check on Tara and Bobby.

"What do you think?" He asked as Tara stepped off the truck.

"It's serious. I need surgical tools. " She spoke as she removed her gloves. "That slug's deep. There's some shards of glass that are really close to the nerve. We have to stabilize him. I can't .. I can't do it here.

"We'll take him to the cabin." He nodded.

"Okay" She crossed her arms over her chest as her eyes darted to Mina then back to Jax. "I need to go by St. Thomas and get some supplies."

Chibs came to let him know Connor was 15 minutes out and Clay spoke up. "So what happens now, Pres?"

Jax turned to face him. "We settle with the Irish."

"Hmm, and uh, how do we do that with two dead bodies and one injured?" Clay looked around at the group gathered around.

Mina stepped beside Jax. Placing a hand on his back to keep him calm. Her presence eased his anger as he looked at Clay. "How would you do it?"

Clay looked floored for a second. His eyes shot to the girl by his side before looking at the ground taking a moment to think. "Well…I mean the smart plan would be to blame it on a bad relationship. You know, two guys with some history get into a beef. One thing leads to another. Couldn't be helped."

Jax looked at him straight faced and nodded. "Sounds about right."

Clay nodded knowingly as he looked at the faces of the ones where were once his family. "So I guess you, uh, had another vote, I wasn't privy too." He said returning his gaze to Jax.

The younger man nodded. "Yeah, we did. This time it was unanimous."

"Fair enough." Clay nodded before Tig let them know it was time and took him to the other side of the room.

Jax looked down at Mina and put his hand on the small of her back. His eyes ran over Tara's cold face and he started walking with Mina to follow the rest of the men. Tara stepped forward with Gemma, Nero, and Rat Boy to watch the scene unveil. They put Clay back in the room with an unconscious Galen, and the two dead goons. Jax stepped in after the rest of the guys, holding Mina's hand tightly.

She placed her free hand on his forearm as he looked down at her. She nodded softly as she locked eyes with him. "This needs to be done, Jackson. For your own sanity, at the least." She hated the taste of signing off a man's fate left in her mouth but this is what Jax needed her here for.

The door shut behind them and Mina jumped slightly but her eyes met Jax's again, and the nervous look he had was masked behind anger. She gave him a nod and he turned his attention to Clay.

"This good?" The old man held his arms out as he stood in the center of the room facing the men.

"Yeah." Jax nodded. His eyes stung from the tears building up but he quickly swallowed them back as he locked eyes with Clay.

Chibs cocked his gun and handed it to Clay. Placing a hand over Mina's shoulder, still keeping his eyes on his former Pres. Jax took the gun, aiming it at the old man, taking a deep breath. All the memories of Clay rushing through him quickly. All the things he'd taught him. All the ways he'd stepped up after his face passed. Mina noticed the hesitation and gave his hand a small squeeze. He nodded and shot Clay in the neck.

Mina gasped quietly as the man sank to his knees. Jax and Chibs stared coldly as blood sprayed out of his neck. Tig wrapped his arm around her, digging her face in his chest as he stared at the man he would have given his life for, dying on the ground.

Jax turned his eyes off his stepfather and back to the ground. He took Mina's free hand and squeezed it while she was still hugging Tig, as he sprayed three more bullets into Clay's chest to finish him off. As the men turned away, Jax stared at the cold body laying on the floor in a pool of blood. He was not a good man. He may have been once, but the minute he turned on his family, on Jax's family, he deserved every bullet he got.

XXX

Jax walked out the room with Mina as the guys started the clean up mess. Mina walked over to Gemma, who pulled her in for a hug as Jax walked up to them. "You okay?" he asked his mother.

Gemma let go of Mina, and the younger woman left to go check on Bobby. " Yeah." The older woman nodded, trying to gather herself. Weakness was not something she needed to show. "I'll, uh, take her to St. Thomas, get what she needs. Take her up to the cabin."

"Thanks." Jax nodded. Both their attentions turning to a chuckle coming from inside the truck. He saw Mina and Bobby laughing as Mina brushed his hair out of his face and both his mother and him smiled.

Gemma crossed her arms over her chest. "She's a good girl, Jackson. It's good to see you lean on someone during hard times." She leaned in and gave her son a kiss on the cheek before pulling away to get in the car.

Nero waited by the door for Jax and nodded when he walked up to him. "Now I get what you mean by more."

Jax nodded. "I'm glad you were here. What went down today was us burying the last piece of a very broken past. What you and me are doing together, that's SAMCRO's future."

Nero looked down at the ground and nodded. "I'll see you up there."

Tara had been leaning against the back of the truck listening the whole time. She watched Nero get in the car and walked over to Jax who'd held the door open for her. "Thank you." He nodded at her. She locked eyes with him, as cold as he was towards her, she could still feel his pain and gave him a small squeeze on his hand as she got in the car.

Jax looked down at their hands and shut the door behind her, not giving her a second look. It was strange that a hand that once brought him such comfort, no longer did. It didn't have the same effect as Mina's, and at this point, this is what he needed.

XXX

Mina had followed Bobby's truck back to the cabin. She had kept herself in his room, keeping him awake and in good spirits to ease his pain. Deep down she was shaking. She'd never witnessed a murder, let alone one she'd approved of. She'd excused herself to the bathroom and shook her head at herself in the mirror. Of course she didn't approve of anyone getting murdered. Let alone three people. She washed her face and looked at herself in the mirror as she patted it dry. Who was she becoming? Who had she gotten herself involved with? She lowered her head and closed her eyes tightly. Jax had asked and she'd gone running. It was something she should have regretted but didn't. She saw the need in that man's eyes and she couldn't deny him. Not when he was so broken.

Tara and Gemma had gotten there and Tara pushed right by here to go to the room Bobby was in followed by Chibs and Jax who both gave her a quick nod and smile. Mina let everyone speak about while she walked outside for a smoke. She set on the front steps and watched Juice stare at the ground deep in thought as he leaned by the car. That kid was troubled. More than he was trying to let on. He wasn't right in the head but neither were any of them. This kid just seemed unstable though. Something worried her about him.

She watched him go back inside and took a deep pull, taking in the night sky. Who was she to question anything? Maybe there was a plan for her all along. It seemed everything in the world ran on plans, more plans, and rewritten plans. There might be a plan out there for her. She was always told what to do, and was usually good enough to follow, regardless of the outcome. As much as she hated her mother, she never denied her anything she'd asked. In reality, Mina had nobody to blame for her problems but herself. Now however, she was on the wrong side of the road, yet again, but this time, it was different. This time, it was because she believed in someone who was trying to do right. That's what Jax was doing. Trying to make everything right. Sure murder seemed to be a huge part, but that was his world, and in a sick way, it excited her.

She felt a body sit next to her as she looked out at the stars. The smell of Jax warmed the air and she took a deep breath in, scooting closer as his warm arm wrapped around her. She laid her head on his shoulder and took another pull of her cigarette.

Jax laid his head over hers and took her cigarette, taking a pull of his own before blowing it out. He followed her gaze and stared out at the sky. After the day's events, he felt calm. He had even calmed down enough to apologize to Tara that being with him took her to such a dark, hateful place. He breathed in the scent of Mina's hair and closed his eyes. "Thank you." He whispered and it had so much more meaning than just for today. He was thankful to her for everything she'd done for him since they'd met. All the clarity she'd provided. He was going to sign those papers. Move Tara and the boys out of here. His sons should never have to live this life. As safe as he was making it, there was still so much danger and hate hanging around it. They deserved better. He looked back down at Mina, who was taking another pull of her cigarette and nodded to himself. This was his chance at doing the right thing. That included starting new with her.


	11. Chapter 11

New update! We finally get to see Jax and Mina move even closer! Let me know what you think!

I do want to answer some questions, though. Mina and Nero do not know each other yet. The person I see as Mina on my photo bucket is Minka Kelly. And I want this story to continue onto season 7 but that won't be exactly according to the plot seeing as I'm making all these changes with Mina being around! It might just focus on Jax and Mina's relationship.

As always, I only own my OC!

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><p>After taking Mina home that night, Jax had one more issue to take care of before he could rest for the night. Chris still tied up at the warehouse and Jax was going to see to it that he never bothered his girl again. He'd warned this fucker once and there were no second chances. This bastard didnt know when to cut his losses and leave so now he was getting everything that was coming to him.<p>

He pulled up to the warehouse with Rat and was lead to the back where a sleeping Chris was tied up to a chair. Jax walked up to the man slapping his head to get him awake. Chris jolted straight as his eyes widened looking at Jax. "Wha.. what's going on?! Why am I here?"

Jax smirked and crossed his arms over his chest, standing in front of him. "I told you to leave Mina alone and where do I find you again? This is the second time after my warning that you were around the shop." He laughed as he remembered what Mina had done to him. "I think she's made it clear that she doesn't want you around either."

Chris stared at Jax. Angry but terrified at the same time. He wasn't really in a position to argue. "I just need to talk to her man. Stupid bitch won't listen!"

Jax cocked his arm back and swung, hitting Chris in the jaw causing the man to yell out in pain. "She doesn't need to listen to anything you have to fuckin' say. Should've moved on when you had the chance man."

"What are you going to do? Kill me? And then what? You and her go live some amazing life?" He let out a snarky laugh. "Do you know how fucked in the head that girl is? No you don't! You don't know shit about her!"

Jax's eyes flashed dark. He may not know enough about Mina but he wasn't going to let this piece of shit talk about her like that. He hit the man again and leaned over looking him in the eyes. "I'd be careful as to how you talk to her. It determines how quick I make this."

Chris spit out blood on the floor. "What do you expect, Teller?" He looked up at Jax's dark angry eyes. "You're going to get her to marry you? Live happily ever after? That girl will never stay in one place for too long. This was never about me cheating on her. It's just her running away when things get hard. She doesn't do commitment. So take your own advice and move one now that you have a chance."

Jax finished him off quickly after that talk but it got him thinking. He'd been so focused on his own issues, he hadn't gotten to know anything about Mina. Yeah, he knew she loved to cook, her favorite movies, her favorite books, songs, hobbies, but she never talked about anything beyond that. The most she'd told him about her life was the day of she had to visit her mothers grave. He needed to know more. Pay more attention to her. He wanted to try harder to be there for Mina. No wonder anytime he mentioned being with her she'd brush it off. None of that mattered though, she was his best friend. His soulmate. His Mina. He called Lowen at 10pm that night and drove over to sign the paperwork. He couldn't hold off any longer. He needed to give this thing with her a shot, especially after all that she'd done for him today.

XXX

Mina got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body before towel drying her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror and didn't recognize the person in the mirror. She could see how tired she looked. She wiped her eyes and walked to her bedroom putting on light grey cotton shorts and a navy cotton beater tank top. She let her hair dry naturally and pulled a fluffy grey robe over her.

While she was grabbing a beer from the kitchen, she pulled out some shrimp to defrost along with some fettuccine for dinner. She figured Jax might be hungry after the day he had, they hadn't eaten at all. The door opened and shut as she filled a pot of water to boil. "Jax? I'm making dinner, go get cleaned up!" She yelled out the doorway.

"Jax, huh?" An angry voice caught her attention and she turned around to see her sister leaning against the doorframe.

Mina rolled her eyes and took a pull of her beer. "Always a pleasure, Addy."

Adrianna crossed her arms over her chest and grabbed the beer bottle from Mina's hands. "I told you to stay away from them."

Mina snatched the bottle back from her sister and pointed her finger in her face. "I told you to mind your own business."

She didn't even see the slap coming as she flew back into the counter. "You watch how you talk to me. You were taught to show respect and so help me god you will. After all the shit I've done for you, it's the least you could do. I'm sick of this little attitude you have going on." Adrianna stood over her, pointing her finger at her younger sister.

Letting out a laugh, Mina wiped her lip to make sure she wasn't bleeding. "Adrianna, get out of this house, or so help ME god, I will throw you out the goddamn window. I don't know who made you queen, but last time I checked, I was the one who saved your ass from getting raped. I was the one who took beatings when you disobeyed mom. What did you do? Feed me to the goddamn sharks cause you were her little pet! Get the fuck out, Addy."

Adrianna froze as she stared at her sister in anger. "How fucking dare you?! I always stood up for you! Always! It wasn't my fault you always wanted to start shit with everyone!"

Mina grabbed Adrianna by the throat and slammed her against the wall. Her sister's hands flew to her wrists as she held her throat tightly. "You haven't done shit for me. I'm so sick of not having any control over my life. I thought for sure when she died, I'd be able to have a fresh start but no. You wouldn't let that happen, would you?"

A cleared throat caught their attention and Mina looked over to see Jax before turning to face her struggling sister. She released her grip and Adrianna adjusted herself. "This is all from hanging out with these disgusting people."

Stepping closer to Adrianna, Mina glared into her sister's eyes. "The only disgusting person I associate with is just leaving."

She nodded her head towards the door and Adrianna backed away. "Well good luck with whatever you have with him. We're selling the house and moving back to Macon." She yelled over her shoulder as she walked downstairs slamming the door behind her.

Jax looked at Mina in shock. "You're leaving?" Mina held her stomach like the air just got knocked out of her. Just when she'd found herself a place she could stay and settle in, she hits her with this. She stared at the ground as her eyes started to water. Jax stepped closer and lifted her chin up to face him. "Mina. You can't leave me."

She took a seat on the chair and leaned her elbows on her knees, laying her head in her hands. She brushed her hair back after wiping her tears and staring at the ground. "She's right. We have to sell the house."

He kneeled down in front of her, placing a hand on her cheek, locking eyes with her. "Then you can stay with me. I'll buy us a house, anything you want babe. Don't leave."

Looking into his eyes she began to tear up again. "Jax. You have Tara. Don't make promises like that."

Jax wiped her tear and leaned his forehead against hers. "I signed the divorce papers. I want you Mina. I need you here. By my side." She searched his eyes for the truth and saw it. A warmth came from his begging eyes and he leaned in closing the distance between them, pressing his lips against hers. She hesitated a moment before closing her eyes and placing her hands on his cheeks to pull him closer, deepening the kiss.

He swore he saw stars as she deepened the kiss. He'd never felt anything like this. Not with Tara. Not with anyone. It was soft and passionate. It was Mina. He didn't need to know every hidden truth behind what made her the way she was. She was his perfect Mina. It all felt so right. He placed his hands on her hips pulling her closer to his body, feeling the warmth of her body wrap around him.

Mina pulled away from the kiss slowly. She looked down in his eyes as he leaned his forehead against hers. Her soft small hand, rubbing his cheek softly as she gave a small smile. He turned his face to kiss her hand lightly. "I love you, Mina." he whispered against her skin.

She smiled lightly and kissed his lips lightly, whispering against them. "I love you too."

XXX

"I'm sorry you lost a man. Anything that gets in the way of the cause is just collateral damage to the IRA." Jax said as he stood in front of Patterson, hands in his pockets.

Paterson paced around slowly, keeping her hands together in front of her. "Don't insult me. That wasn't just the IRA. You knew all about Clay Morrow's transport. That's what the wild gun chase was all about - to divert my manpower."

"And without that diversion, you'd have had a lot more dead sheriffs." Jax argued, a bit louder.

Paterson stepped closer to the man. "You expect me to believe that your lies and bullshit maneuvering was to protect my people?"

"Believe what you want. I did everything I could to make this work. You got your man and the shipment." Jax nodded his head at the DA.

"Well, clearly, it didn't work for everyone. What happened to Morrow? Why take such huge risks just to try and kill each other?" Paterson stated getting more heated.

"Look, they had 20 years of history together. Both on and off the IRA table. Now my guess is, whatever deal they had set up went bad. " Jax shrugged innocently.

The DA scoffed. "There's a lot of that going around."

"I know it's not the way you wanted it, but from what I've seen on the news, I delivered everything as promised. KG-9's, IRA supplier, local dealer. I held up my half of the deal." Jax argued.

Paterson nodded and smirked. "You're a very smart man, Mr. Teller. I can see how you've risen to your rank."

Jax nodded slowly. "Unfortunately, I inherited it. "

"Mm, we all have a destiny." She grinned at him.

"Maybe." Jax agreed.

"We'll have to finish our investigation. Then I'll decide if you kept up your end of the deal." She crossed her arms over her chest looking at the young man.

Jax raised and lowered his eyebrows. "Yeah." he said as he walked turned to walk off.

"Oh and Jackson?" Paterson added as Jax looked over his shoulder at her. "That new girl of yours is quite the catch. Can't say I've met an outsider so loyal."

Jax looked at her confused for a moment before his face flashed anger. "You leave Mina out of any of this." He said warningly before walking away.

"How'd that go?" Tig asked, pointing towards the DA who was getting into a car.

The president shook his head. "She knows she got played. She also knows she got what she needed. We got to wait and see how it lands."

Tig nodded in agreement and Chibs spoke up. "Well, I got ahold of Conner, told him to take the guns to Wahewa."

Jax nodded. "Okay. You good?" He asked his guys and they nodded in agreement before the men headed out.

XXX

Mina had been texting Jax at every free moment. He'd let her know about the talk with the DA and asked him to meet her at the cabin later so Mina headed over there after her shift. She pulled up to see Jax's bike missing so She pulled her car into the driveway next to a blue SUV and walked inside to see a few of the members hanging around. "Hey guys." She spoke up catching their attention and saw Juice heading to the back room. "How is he?" she asked Rat nodding her head towards Bobby's room.

Rat shook his head as he stood to move closer to Mina. "He's alright. Tara's kept him doped up the whole time so he doesn't feel the pain."

She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "Shit. Is that whose car is outside?"

Rat nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. "But don't worry. She's not going to start trouble. She's been on a very tight leash with Jax."

Mina quirked her eyebrow as she cocked her head to the side. "She's not a dog Rat, there is no leash."

Rat laughed and squeezed her shoulder. "Sure. You should go say hi to Bobby. Might cheer him up."

Mina nodded and put her bag down on the table before making her way to the back room. Opening the door slowly, she heard Bobby grunting and frowned quickly before smiling at him once their eyes met. "Hey gramps, how you holdin' up?"

"Gramps, huh?" He let out a painful laugh and Tara scoffed, walking out of the room, bumping her shoulder against Mina's. She shook her head and sat next to Bobby on the bed. "Ignore her. What brings you by?"

She smiled and put a hand over his lightly. "To check on my favorite old man. " She laughed and rubbed circles on his hand with her fingertips. "How are you holding up, hun?"

He grunted and nodded his head over to the cigarettes. "I'll be alright, doc's takin' good care of me."

Mina nodded and handed Bobby a smoke, lighting it for him before lighting one for herself. "You'll be up and riding in no time." She took a pull and held the smoke for a little while before blowing it out.

"You talk to Jax?" Bobby asked blowing out his own smoke.

She leaned her head back against the headboard and nodded. "Yeah, he asked me to meet him here."

"Seems that boy needs you around a lot." Bobby chuckled adjusting himself on the bed.

"Everybody needs somebody, Bobby. Everybody needs somebody." She smiled down at him.

"You're a smart woman, darlin', how'd you end up in this hell hole?" He took another pull.

Mina's eyes flashed dark as she got up off the bed. "I'll go grab us some beers."

"That bad, huh?" He laughed as he watched her leave the room.

Mina stubbed out her cigarette and walked over to the kitchen, ignoring Tara at the table while she grabbed two beers.

"He can't drink, he's been heavily medicated." Tara spoke up as she stood and crossed her arms.

"He'll be fine." She said as she went to walk out the door.

Tara scoffed and stepped closer behind her. "Sure, cause the whore would know more than a doctor."

Mina stopped and turned to face Tara. "I'm sorry, you seem to think a little highly of yourself here. You lost your license didn't you? How about you take that down a notch."

Tara's face scrunched in anger as she stepped to face Mina. "You're right. I lost everything because of this goddamn club. I'm just glad the same thing's going to happen to you." She pushed past Mina to walk outside for air.

The younger woman slammed the beer down on the table and followed Tara outside. "You seem to have a lot to say about someone you don't know."

Tara crossed her arms and turned to look at Mina. "I don't need to know anything about you! You're nothing to but Jax's new interest for the time being. It's happened more than once sweetheart, don't think you're special. When the going gets tough, Jax digs himself in the nearest available gash!'

Mina bit her lip in anger. "I've told you more than once that I've never slept with Jax! Maybe if you weren't busy faking pregnancys and framing his family, you'd get the chance to see that. What kind of woman does that? Breaks a persons heart like that? You're nothing but a manipulative bitch!"

Tara shoved Mina hard and pointed her finger at her. "Don't act like you know ANYTHING about what I do for MY family!"

Mina shoved Tara and yelled over her. "You don't have a family!"

Tara slapped Mina hard and Mina had had enough of people pushing her around. She ran at Tara and tackled her to the ground. After the women rolled around for a bit, Mina landed on top and swung hard, hitting Tara in the face over and over again as Tara tried to reach for Mina's throat.

"What the fuck!" Rat yelled as he ran out of the cabin. The bikes pulled up and Jax almost dropped his bike running over to help Rat pull the women apart.

"Enough!" He yelled keeping his arms spread between the two women who were heavily breathing.

"You crazy bitch!" Tara yelled as she wiped blood off of her busted lip. "This who you want your boys to grow up around?!" She pointed a finger a Mina while she looked at Jax. Jax put his arms down in defeat and before he could say anything, Tara walked quickly to her car and pulled out of the lot.

He told Rat to follow her quickly before. He turned to look at Mina as the rest of the group circled around him. "What happened?" He asked, his tone louder than he'd meant it, locking eyes with her.

She shook her head and ran her hands over her face. "Not a goddamn thing." she pushed past Jax and walked inside to grab her purse before leaving.

XXX

"Mina?" Jax knocked on the bathroom door, "Babe, come on. Let me in." He begged but got no answer. He leaned his forehead against the door and sighed. "I'm not leaving until you open this door." The door cracked open and he stepped inside, to see Mina sitting on the countertop wiping her eyes with a towel wrapped around her small frame. "Hey. Hey, babe, you gotta talk to me. This is the third time I've caught you crying." he wrapped his arms around her, placing one hand on the back of her head as she dug her face into her neck, his other hand tracing the outline of her tattoo on her upper back.

Mina sniffled quietly and pulled away from the hug looking up at him. "I'm so sick of having no control over my life, Jax." She threw her hands up with a fake laugh, "Hell, I don't even have a life! All I do is work." she put her face in her hands. "I'm losing my fucking mind here."

He kissed the top of her damp hair, "How about I cook us some dinner, you pick a movie, and you can tell me all about it?" he lifted her chin up so she'd face him. "I've been selfish, babe. It's your turn to lean on me."

She smiled softly and wiped her eyes. "You can cook?"

He laughed lightly and nodded. "You'd be surprised."

With a nod, she jumped off the counter and headed for the bedroom. Jax couldn't help but run his eyes over her back, the way the towel clung onto her curves and hit her upper thigh that lead to those long tan legs. He bit his lip hard and wanted nothing more than to follow her in there, but he needed to do it right this time. Mina was something special, he didn't want anything to fuck this up.

She pulled on a pair of skinny sweatpants and a loose vneck t-shirt, letting her hair dry naturally. She pulled on her fluffy robe before walking into the kitchen and took a seat at the table as she watched him cook. "Thank you for this." She smiled at him.

"You do it for me all the time, least I can do." He smiled as he flipped the pieces of chicken over in the pan. "Wanna tell me what happened with Tara?"

Mina looked down at the ground and shrugged. "I guess I could only take so much. She always has something to say and this time - I just couldn't hold back."

"Wanna tell me what happened with the DA?" He turned to look at her, leaning against the counter.

She looked back up at him and shrugged again. "She wanted to make me a deal for information on the Sons."

Jax's furrowed his eyebrows in anger and stepped closer, taking the seat next to her. "What kind of deal?"

"Doesn't matter Jax." She shook her head, leaning back in the seat.

He leaned forwards and pushed on. "What was the deal, Mina?"

Mina sighed and leaned her head back looking up at the ceiling before returning to face him. "She said she'd pay off all of my mother's debt that we owe - give me a fresh start, if I gave them information on the MC."

Jax's eyes opened wide and he leaned closer to her. "And you didn't take it?"

"No, Jax." She shook her head. "I told her I didn't know anything about the club. That we're just friends and that if she touched my finances I'd take away her law degree."

He was still in shock at the fact that she'd turned down a chance at a clean start. With all the problems she had, she'd gotten the opportunity to make it all go away and she hadn't taken it. He put his hands on her cheeks and pulled in closer, crashing his lips onto hers. He couldn't control himself at this point.

Mina kissed him back, pulling his body closer with need as he grabbed her thighs, pulling her up on his lap to straddle him. They deepened the kiss and he pushed off her robe as she pushed his cut off of his shoulders. Jax made his way down to kiss on her neck, her small moan was driving him crazy. She moved her hips over his, feeling his member hardening underneath her, leaning her head to the side as he kissed on her neck. She tugged his hair lightly, letting out a quiet moan as he bit her neck.

As he was about to pull off her shirt, his phone rang. He wanted so badly to ignore it but Mina pulled away, to adjust herself. "Fuck" he grunted as he grabbed the phone, not looking at the caller ID. "What?" He angrily answered. "What?!" He got up quickly starting to pace around the room. "I'll be right there." He slammed the phone shut and turned to look at a worried Mina. "Tara's gone. She took my boys! I gotta get to my house."

Mina froze momentarily taking it all in before going to the closet to throw on a hoodie and her shoes. "I'm coming with you."

He nodded and took her hand, lacing their fingers together as they ran down the stairs to his bike. He hopped on and she adjusted herself behind him holding onto him tightly as he sped down the street.

XXX

They walked inside the dark home, Jax didn't know what to think. He was furious. As he took steps around the place it was empty, toys were scattered, the drawers in the bedroom, the closet - empty. He ran to the boys rooms to find the same.

While Mina waited in the kitchen, Gemma ran inside the house, going to the boys rooms immediately. She watched with concern as she stepped closer down the hallway to listen in.

"All their stuff is gone." Jax paced before leaning his hands on the dresser in Abel's room. "She took my sons."

"I saw Patterson at St. Thomas. She must've made a deal." Gemma sighed, placing her hands on her hips.

Mina jumped when she heard crashing and ran to the doorway to see that Jax had thrown the shelved across the room. "Jax. You don't know that." She spoke up softly.

Gemma crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips with attitude towards the younger woman as Jax stared at her. "I signed the fucking papers! What more does she want!?"

Mina stepped forward and slide her hands into his. "What if she doesn't know yet? Call your lawyer, Jax."

Jax looked down at her trying to catch his breath while Gemma's glare shot bullets into her. "Of course she made a deal! I have no doubt in my mind she's been scheming since she got out!" She tried to convince her son.

Mina's eyes locked on Jax's, ignoring everything Gemma said. "I'm not saying you don't have a right to be mad, but we will find your sons. Don't sign someone's death warrant for being a rat if you don't know for sure. Call your lawyer, babe."

Her soothing voice along with her pleading eyes calmed him down enough as he pulled out his phone. Gemma stared at Mina in anger and bewilderment at the effect she had on her son. Tara had taken her grandson's. Jax should hunt the bitch down and kill her. Mina was too deep in his head.


	12. Chapter 12

I know I said I'd be posting during the holiday's but being around my hole family really kills any creative vibe I have going on. It totally sucked not being able to write but I am back and I did stay up to bang out this chapter for you guys. I missed getting into character so much! Hope you guys aren't to mad!

Let me know what you think!

As always, I only own my OC. :)

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><p>Mina came home from work early to find Jax still in bed. She walked into her room and sat on the edge next to him. His glazed eyes staring blankly at the ground, she ran her fingertips down his back.<p>

"You're not going to find them being in bed all day, sweetheart." She tried but was met with a grunt. Leaning in closer to kiss his temple, she brushed some hair from his face. "I need you to get up Jackson. Moping isn't going to fix anything. You know the boys are safe, you just have to go out there and find them."

His eyes met hers after a silent moment "I was going to let her take them away. Keep them out of Charming just like she wanted."

She nodded in understanding and ran her fingers through his hair. "Then go find them for a proper goodbye. Let her know she doesn't need to run and hide. You have to be on good terms so you can see your sons."

Jax stared at the ground. " I don't want to hurt her. I don't know why she's scared of me hurting her. I've never put my hands on her."

Swiping her hands over her face, Mina nodded. "You'll have to hear her out. She's scared, Jax, but I don't think she made a deal. You two have so much history, she wouldn't turn on you now."

He sat up and looked at her, anger rising within him again. "I never thought she'd fucking fake a miscarriage to frame my own mother! Or kidnap my sons! Who knows what she'd do now."

Mina jumped slightly at his loud tone but moved in closer to him. "I know, babe, I know. But you have to calm down and think rationally about this."

"Why are you even defending her?! Just yesterday you two were on the ground ready to kill each other?" He looked at her skeptically.

She looked down and shook her head before meeting his eyes, "Because she's a mother, Jax. She's a damn good mother to those boys." She paused for a moment and bit her lip hesitantly. "And because I don't want another person dying."

Jax stared at her for a moment before lowering his eyes to his hands as he spun his SONS rings on his fingers. He hadn't had a moment to think of how watching 3 people die had affected her. She'd hid it so well. Carried herself so well afterwards, but she hadn't been through that before. "I'm sorry." He sighed. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

Mina lifted his chin and leaned in pressing her lips against his. "Shh, I'm here babe. I chose to be here."

He looked up in her eyes as she spoke and placed his hands on her hips, pulling her up onto his lap. Placing a hand on her cheek, he pulled her face closer, kissing her again. Needing to feel her comfort.

She sat up on his lap, adjusting her legs on either side of him, cupping his face with her small hands as she deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue along his bottom lip before he hungerly opened his mouth to move his tongue with hers. His rough hands moving down her sides to grab her shirt as she leaned back, raising her arms over her head letting him pull it off over her head making quick work of her bra. His eyes roamed her body as he noticed taking the tattoo of an owl between her breasts with it's wings spread, cupping the perfect mounds.

Mina bit her lip nervously. It'd been so long since she'd had anyone look at her like he was. His eyes burning right through her. She shivered under his touch as his hands roamed over her body. Tracing every curve. Touching every scar. She leaned in kissing him again with more need. The electric feeling that he sent through her body was like nothing she'd ever felt as he rolled her over so she was laying on her back.

After removing her jeans, his hands cupped the waistline of her panties, sliding them slowly down her legs as he kneeled between them. He licked his lips looking at her, taking it all in. The smooth skin. The tattoos. The look of want in her face. He couldn't believe he was finally with Mina. His hands ran up her body, his eyes following them before finally meeting hers. "You're beautiful, babe." He whispered before leaning in to kiss her soft lips again.

She ran her fingertips down his bare sides, pushing his boxers down slowly until he kicked them off of him. The kisses her deep and filled with passion. She needed to feel him. Lifting her legs over his hips, she pulled him in closer, feeling his hard shaft against her core. A slight moan came out of her lips. His fingers ran through her hair as his free hand ran down her body, grabbing her hip to lift her up slightly before sliding deep inside of her. Her breath caught in her throat as he stilled, giving her time to adjust. She opened her eyes slowly to look up into his, who were once again burning into her. She placed a hand on his cheek, the other one holding onto his bicep, as she gave him a nod to continue.

Their bodies moved together in sync. Quickly becoming hot and heavy, Jax couldn't wrap his head around the effect she had on him. He could feel the warm of her care with every touch and movement and when her eyes were open, they looked directly at him. Into his soul.

This wasn't just sex. They were making love. They both knew the feelings they had for each other weren't just those of friends or even lovers. They touched each others hearts - souls. He watched her throw her head back as her climax. The pure look of bliss on her face, as her nails dug into his back, he couldn't hold back as he let his climax follow hers before collapsing on top of her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him against her as she caught her breath. Sliding her fingertips up and down his back, he lifted his head from the crease of her neck to kiss her again. Placing a hand on her cheek, he stroked it gently with his thumb as he leaned up on his elbow, looking down at her. "I love you."

Mina leaned her head to the side, kissing his palm, keeping her eyes on his. "I love you too. You going to head out today?"

Jax shook his head, moving to lay next to her, pulling her into his side. "No. I'm having the guys try and track her, but I want to stay in. With you." For once, he didn't want to deal with the world. Sure, he'd had the guys check in with everything going on, but staying inside with Mina seemed like the best option.

She smiled as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Sounds like a date, Teller."

XXX

Mina ordered food for the two of them after they showered. While he was in the room changing into sweats, she kept her short robe that landed mid thigh on and went to the kitchen to get a drink and walked to the living room to turn on the TV when there was a knock on the door.

Peeking through the peephole she saw sheriff Roosevelt and opened the door. "Sheriff?" She took a sip of her coffee looking at him.

"Ms. Veira, can I come in?" He asked politely. She hesitated for a moment knowing Jax was upstairs but moved to the side holding her hand out to motion him in.

As they got upstairs, she led him into the kitchen putting her drink on the table. "Can I grab you a drink?"

"No, thank you ." He looked around the room, taking everything in before looking back at her.

"Mina, please. What can I do for you?" She crossed her arms leaning back against the counter.

"I actually have a few questions for you, regarding a Chris Anderson. Your sister said you might know where he is?"

She furrowed her brows, standing a little closer. "Chris is missing?"

Jax walked into the room in sweatpants amd no shirt on as Roosevelt was about to speak. Both men looked at eachother in confusion before Jax spoke up. "What's going on?"

Mina put her hand on his arm but kept her eyes on the sheriff as he stares at them with interest. "Chris is missing." She spoke up.

Roosevelt nodded and looked between the two of them again. "Yeah we got a call from his mother saying she hadn't heard from him in days. It appears he was in town to reconcile his relationship with you."

Jax scoffed and Mina looked up at his dark eyes, immediatly figuring out what happened. She swallowed her anger and looked back at the sheriff. "Yeah. He was. Came around my job a few times. Caused a scene when I wouldn't take him back. He attacked me so I beat him with a baseball bat and threatened to have him arrested if he ever came near me again. I haven't heard from him since."

The sheriff's eyebrows flew up high in his forehead as he looked at her. "True to your record I see. How long ago was that?"

Mina's eyes went dark at his statement. "A little over a week ago."

Roosevelt nodded and held out a business card for her. "Let me know if you hear anything else." His eyes shot to Jax's before going back to hers.

She took the card with a nod and held her hand out leading him towards the stairs again. "Will do Sheriff."

"Eli, please." He smiled at her as they made their way down the stairs.

When opening the door, they heard screaming between two women and saw Gemma and Adrianna at eachothers throats. "Hey, hey! What the fuck?!" Mina yelled getting in between the two, pushing them apart. Eli went to step closer but Mina stopped him. "Eli, thanks for stopping by but you better go."

Jax ran down the stairs to see what the commotion was when he saw his mom trying to charge towards Mina's sister with her in the middle. He quickly ran to his mother, pulling her away causing the screaming to stop. "What the fuck is going on here?!" He yelled over the women and all of them quieted down.

Mina pushed her sister further away from Gemma while the older woman placed her hands on her hips looking at her son. "I need to talk to you." She said taking a look at her barely dressed son as well as Mina's skimpy robe. She took her sons hand pulling him inside of Mina's house.

Adrianna looked at her sister with crossed arms. "You need to get these people out of here. Chris is missing. The police are showing up and now Gemma Teller is at my door screaming at me about her son?! How are these the type of people you want to be involved with?!"

The younger woman shook her head. She'd deal with Jax later but for now, there was other matters at hand. Ignoring her sister, she walked back inside her house to her Gemma yelling at Jax.

"Your bitch of a wife kidnapped our boys and you're shacked up with some tart all day?!"

"MY boys are safe with Tara! I will find them to say goodbye but I am divorcing her and letting her get the boys out of Charming, Gemma!"

"Are you out of your mind?! Jesus Christ!"

Mina shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair as she entered the living room. Gemma focused her gaze on her, pointing her finger at the brunette. "What you just want to start over with some new pussy?!"

Jax's face flashed dark with anger as he stepped forward towards his mother. "Watch how you talk about her, Gemma."

Gemma stepped closer to Mina, pointing a finger at her face. "And you. Next time that bitch has anything to say about my family, I'll rip her tongue right out of her goddamn throat!"

With a scoff, Mina grabbed Gemma's hand, tossing it away from her face and stepped toe to toe with her. "Gemma, you threaten my sister again and I'll see to it that you're the one missing."

The older woman's eyebrows flew up to her forehead before her eyes narrowed to look down at Mina. Jax quickly grabbed his mother's arm, dragging her down the stairs. Mina stepped into her kitchen, placing her hands forward onto the counter and taking a deep breath. What the fuck was going on?

XXX

Jax ran his fingers through his hair as he watched his mom drive away in the truck. The last thing he needed was a fight with her. On top of that he didn't need Mina's sister having one more reason to get into her head about being with him. He looked up the stairs and sighed. From the way she looked at him earlier, he knew she know that he was responsible for her ex being missing.

Going up the stairs, he saw her in the kitchen sitting on the countertop smoking a cigarette. "Mina.." He started, taking a step closer to her. "I'm.. I'm sorry."

She took a deep pull of her cigarette, her eyes burning into his. "For what? What your mother said about me? Or that you killed my ex boyfriend?"

Jax swallowed hard at her bluntness, keeping his gaze on hers. "Both. I should have told you. I saw him outside your job again and hearing that he had put his hands on you, I saw red babe." He stepped closer as she stayed silent keeping her eyes on the ground. Placing his hands on her thighs, sliding them up and down slowly.

"Don't hide things from me, Jackson." She spoke clearly after a few moments of silence.

He looked up at her, placing a hand on her cheek and leaning in to kiss her lips. "I won't. I promise."

She kissed him back and pulled away to look at him. "I can deal with your mother. I can deal with my sister. I can not deal with lies and secrets, Jax. If you're serious about trying this." She motioned her finger between the two of them. "Me and you - you have to keep it 100% honest."

Jax nodded his head, taking his hand in hers. "I know babe and I will. I want to do it right this time. With you, Mina."

Mina nodded and smiled softly, kissing him again. "I love you."

He leaned his forehead on hers, kissing her back. "I love you."

She put out her cigarette and smiled at him. "So, uh, my cousin's wedding in next month. I was wondering if you'd be my date?"

With a laugh, he nodded. "Can't let my girl go alone."

Mina smiled and bit the corner of her lip. "It's.. uh.. in Georgia."

His eyes widened and he paused looked down at her. "Georgia?" She nodded and he took a deep breath. "Yeah, alright. Sounds like a plan."

XXX

Mina twirled her fingertips over his bare chest as they laid in her bed. Taken 1 was playing on the tv but they were so wrapped up in each other that they paid no mind to surroundings. As he played with a strand of her hair, he watched her bare chest rise and fall in a way that brought him peace. His mind ran to what Tara and the boys were doing but he couldn't seem to stop himself from thinking of how good Mina was with the boys.

As if reading his mind, he heard her soft voice speak up. "What are you going to do when you find Tara?"

He closed his eyes, leaning his head back on the pillow, shaking it. "I don't know, babe. The betrayal I feel - I don't know if I'll be able to control my anger."

She traced the letters of Abel's name on his chest, listening to his heartbeat while he spoke. "You still love her. You won't hurt her."

Placing a hand over his face, he ran it up towards his hair. "I don't think I'll ever stop, but the two of us don't belong together. I saw it then but I did everything I could to push that doubt back."

Mina nodded and closed her eyes. "Everything works out in the end, babe."


	13. Chapter 13

So sorry this took me so long. Had a lot to take care of this last week and this chapter was very hard to write. Hope you guys aren't to mad!

I love hearing what you think so let me know!

As always, I only own my OC.

* * *

><p>Jax woke up alone in bed. The feeling of emptiness rang through his arms. Mina had to work early. He normally felt her leave in the morning but he was exhausted last night. He inhaled her pillow, taking in the scent of her hair as a small smile crept onto his lips. He knew he had to get up and find his boys. Things needed to be cleared up with Tara.<p>

After taking a hot shower and making himself some coffee, he headed out the door. Before anything, he wanted to go visit Opie's grave. It'd been a little while since he'd stopped by, but he had a lot to think about. Since losing Op, he'd thought he'd lost his way - the way of the club, but then Mina came along and became his best friend out of nowhere. It was like Op had been looking out for him even from above. He'd started seeing things so clearly since she'd been around. He was sure it was Opie's doing. He'd told him before how that gavel destroys the man holding it - and it had for a while, but with her by his side, the right decisions seemed to keep rolling along.

He filled Opie in on everything going on with him, the club, life. Told him all about Mina, how much he wished he'd gotten the chance to meet her. He'd love him. But then he took a moment to write in his journal. A memoir of his own he'd been keeping for his sons. He wanted them to know about him and the reasons he did the things he did.

"There are lessons to be found here, but mostly, I do this so you can know me. Lately, as I write these, I realize they are as much for me as they are for you. This is the one place I can be completely open. The pen and paper has no judgement. No vote. It simply receives my truth and allows me to turn the page. And today...this is my truth. I am terrified a great deal of the time. Afraid of what I've done, of what I'm doing, and of what I might have to do. It's not a crippling fear. In fact, just the opposite. I thrive on it. I crave it. I need that rush of terror to get me out of bed in the morning. It's in my DNA. I have tremendous remorse for the acts of violence I've committed, both planned and spontaneous. But I think what brings me the most sorrow is that I've learned to justify this behaviour. I always find a reason, a cause, a need that allows me the karmic lubrication to stuff my guilt into it's savage compartment. I've become the thing… the one I hated. And with that awareness comes periods of days, sometimes weeks, when I have to avoid looking into a mirror. My self-hate is so deep, so palpable, I feel I'll lunge at my own image, shatter the glass and cut myself with shards of broken reflection. Since my best friend was killed I thought I had lost my center. Op was always my pull back to true north. For a long while, my sense of doubt and fraudulence bark so loudly in my head that most of the time, I couldn't hear anything else. Love, camaraderie, freedom… all the things I want from this life are lost in the din. Forgive my indulgence, sons. But today may be a day we both remember. A defining day. And I want you to look back at this entry and know that at the very least, your father was completely honest. So you know I speak the truth when I tell you that you are the most important thing to me. I will never hurt you. Never abandon you. I love you, Abel. I love you, Thomas. More than anything or anyone. I always will. Everything I do is for my sons.

XXX

The bells chimed at the shop and Mina walked to the front to see who it was. Her face went serious when she saw Gemma looking around. A sly look on the older woman's face, irritated Mina but she greeted her anyway. " What can I do for you, Gemma?"

Gemma nodded her head over to an empty table as Mina walked closer. "Give me a minute?" Mina nodded, letting Rachel know to handle the register before walking over to the table with Gemma. The Queen sat down across from her, leaning forward with her hands together on the table. "I need you to talk some sense into Jax."

The younger woman leaned back in her seat looking perplexed. "Regarding?"

"Those boys. They belong here with their family in Charming." Gemma pushed on.

"I can't do that. I think he's making the right decision letting Tara take them out, Gemma. This isn't a safe place for those kids." Mina shook her head glaring back at the woman across whose eyes were shooting daggers at her.

"That bitch is NOT leaving here with MY boys! She's been trying to take Jax away for years and now she's taken them!" Gemma' voice got progressively higher.

"Their boys. Not yours." Mina shot back oddly defensive over them.

Gemma's eyes narrowed at Mina."You heard from him today?"

"No. He was still sleeping when I left for work. Hasn't called me all day." Mina shrugged and leaned back in her seat.

Gemma scoffed as her eyes burned into the young brunette. "And you don't think to worry? My son is the president of the Sons. Lotta men out there either want him dead or in prison."

With a small laugh, Mina leaned forward. "You come in here just to fight Gem?"

"I don't like this shit you have with Jax. You're messin' with his head - making him forget who he is."

"And who is he Gemma? I see the way you push him away from Tara. He told me everything about you. Your past with her. With Wendy. You raised that man to be the husband you wanted in your life once John died. Made him replace all the love you felt you deserved. To take his place as man of the house. Forced him to grow up before his time. It's disgusting what you do to keep him under your control. You've done nothing but poison his life. I know exactly why you don't like me and I not going to let you get him in deeper shit than he already is." Mina slammed her hands on the table as she walked back behind the counter leaving Gemma stunned and livid.

XXX

Jax pulled into the spot across the street from Scoops, he saw Mina leaning against the wall outside of the coffee shop smoking a cigarette. A small smile came across his face as he walked over to her, pulling the cigarette out of her mouth before leaning in to kiss her. She smiled into the kiss as he pulled away taking a pull of smoke.

"Hey you." She smiled taking her cigarette back, taking a pull of her own.

"How's work been babe?" He blew out his smoke, leaning next to her on the wall.

She turned her head towards him, blowing her smoke out to the side. "Pretty intense. You get your head clear?"

He nodded and looked towards the shop where he saw his mom talking to juice. "Yeah. I'm going to call chapel. Find out what went on yesterday. What they know. You're coming with me when I find her right?"

She nodded her head, "Yeah. Just let me know. Go ahead, I need to head back inside." She leaned up, kissing his lips softly, "Stay safe babe."

He kissed her back and let his hands linger on her hip for a moment before letting her go inside and walking across the street.

"Hey babe" Gemma spoke up as he walked behind the counter grabbing something to drink. "Where you been?"

"Just ridin' mostly." He took a sip and leaned back on the counter. "I'm okay."

She leaned forward on the counter, watching him. "You hear anything?" Jax shook his head no and Juice let him know everyone was upstairs. He asked his mom about Nero before they heard a car door shut with Roosevelt and Paterson walking inside. "Are you kidding me?" The older woman spoke up again. "I'm about to go catfight on a colored girl."

"Mom, not today." Jax shook his head as the rest of the guys came downstairs.

"We should talk, Jackson." Patterson looked around the room before looking at him.

Jax nodded and walked over giving Gemma a kiss on the cheek, whispering "Tell Nero I'll see him at Diosa." With a nod, his mother walked past Patterson, mumbling something when the DA tried to greet her.

He shook his head when Patterson spoke up again. "We can't choose our family, right?"

"What do you want?" He cut to the chase.

The woman told Roosevelt that she wanted to talk to Teller alone and while he left she looked over at the rest of the club who were still standing there. Jax gave them a nod to go back upstairs and walked over to a booth.

"Our ties seem to be getting deeper." She started.

"How's that?" Jax asked as he moved his ring around on his finger.

She put her hands together in front of her, staring hard at him. "Do you know where your wife is?"

"She took the boys. Little retreat." He said dryly not breaking eye contact.

"Where too?" She pushed on.

"Why do you care?"

"We had a meeting. She missed it." Patterson stepped closer, moving to sit across from him at the booth. "I'm just trying to find out if we're going to reschedule."

"When I see her, I'll let her know" He shrugged with a shake of his head.

She let her eyes wander the shop for a moment, thinking of how to approach him. "Do you ever struggle with your need to be a good man?"

Jax looked down for a minute, thinking of how to answer. He shook his head, returning his eyes to her. "I struggle with all my needs. Just like everybody else."

She pursed her lips and nodded. "Mm. My guess is you struggle with it everyday. What you are, crashing into who you are."

Not feeling like dealing with a lecture, he lifted his head back still looking at her. "Are we done?"

Patterson leaned forward onto her elbows. "I know how much you love Tara. And I see how deeply she loves you. Betrayal is a very intense feeling. One that can only be matched by the maternal instinct of a mother protecting her young."

His eyes narrowed and his voice lowered. "I don't need a lesson in family feelings. If you have something to say, then say it."

Looking the man up and down, she let out a small chuckle. " Whatever decisions happen here today… the outcome lands on you. Are you willing to let your family pay the price for your mistakes? Is that what a good man would do? Because if that happens, I promise you, son, it's going to destroy you, and everything else you love. And that's not the law in me talking, that's the flawed mother who made a lot of mistakes." She watched his eyes narrow before starting heatedly back into hers. "You're a husband, and a father, and a man before all of this. Own your place."

As she got up to leave, Jax stared into the table. It all sounded like what Mina's been telling him - no, letting him see for himself. He had already come to his decision, but if she had ratted, it was a club vote.

XXX

After Church, they'd figured out she'd gotten a new lawyer. Juice and Bobby were supposed to find him and follow him to see if he lead them to Tara. Church was interrupted by Chucky letting them know Alvarez was outside. The two walked side by side down the street with Alvarez letting him know the Mayans were unhappy with the change of hands with the gun dealings. He noticed Alvarez's eyes kept leaving his to something else and when he followed the man's gaze it lead straight to Mina who was on the phone outside of her shop. Jax immediately tensed up in anger but for the sake of business kept as calm as he could.

Mina was his. As soon as everything got taken care of with Tara, she would have his crow. Make it known to everyone. The club knew to take care of her - hell they loved her just as much as he did, but outsiders need to know. He finished up with Alvarez and saw that Mina had gone back inside so he headed back to Scoops, filling in the club quickly on what the Mayans wanted. Happy got the phone call from Juice saying they'd found Tara and told Jax.

Before they left he had to see Mina, taking Tig with him, the men crossed the street and entered the shop seeing Mina taking filling orders behind the counter. An easy smile made it's unexpected way across his face as he watched her hard at work. He left Tig at the door and walked over to the counter, leaning his arms over it. "Babe, you got a minute?"

Mina smiled seeing the two men. She met eyes with Jax and her smile grew. "Yeah. Head to my office I'll be there in a sec." He nodded and did as told while she finished up. He wandered around her office and smiled. She'd already made it like home.

"What's going on?" She asked walking inside and shutting the door behind them.

He took her face in his hands, giving her a soft kiss, smiling against them as her full lips pressed back against his. "We found her. You ready to go?"

"Shit." She pulled back slightly and shook her head. "Rachel just left on her break. Why don't you guys get going and I'll meet you over there?"

His face scrunched into a frown and he nodded. "Yeah, I'm leaving Tig with you. He'll know where to go."

Mina took his hands in hers lacing their fingers together. She brought them up to her lips giving both hands a gently kiss, keeping her eyes on his. "Please be good Jax. Don't do anything you'll regret."

He nodded, listening to her words as he watched her kiss his hand. "I love you."

She smiled and pushed him out the door. "I love you too."

XXX

"Daddy!" Abel squealed in happiness as he ran into his fathers arms while the men approached the table Tara and Thomas were seated.

Jax lifted his boy up with a smile while his cold eyes looked at Tara. "Hey buddy."

"Oh my god." Tara mumbled in fear as she stood to face the men, clenching Thomas tightly in her arms.

Bobby and Happy took Abel back to the playground as Jax approached Tara, taking Thomas out of her tightening grip. He held the toddler against him, pressing a kiss into his cheek before turning his attention to her. "Sit down." He commanded in a low, dangerous tone.

She sat down immediately and he handed Thomas to Juice before sitting down across from her, holding his hands together on the table in front of him.

"What are you going to do?" She asked quietly in a trembling voice.

Trying to get ahold of his anger, he spoke slowly. "I just need to talk to you." After a moment of silence he continued. "I know you think you need to do this but I can't let you. You know that."

"Please don't .. hurt me.. in front of the kids." she pleaded quietly.

Shaking his head, a look of hurt became visible on his face. As angry and betrayed he had felt, the fact that she still thought he would hurt her in anyway hurt him. "That's not what I want."

"But that's all there is." She looked over Juice playing with her son and shook her head. "There is no other ending." She turned her head to see Abel playing with Happy on the slide as tears left her eyes. "I.. I have sacrificed everything for you. I have tried to see what you see, how you see it but I cant. All I see are the lies and the violence, and how it's changed you. Turned you into a monster." She covered her mouth as the words left, staring blankly at the ground. Jax's eyes filled with tears of his own but his anger and hurt wouldn't dare let them fall. "I'll die if I have to. At least I know I tried to save them from becoming what you are."

He shook his head "I never forced my life on you. You came back to me." He spoke between clenched teeth, staring at her coldly. " You're part of what I am, Tara. You always have been."

A small smile appeared on her face as his voice softened, before shaking it off to wipe her tears. "That was my mistake. Thinking our love, our bond, was stronger than the pull of your..history, but it's not. You were going to pull them out of this remember? You were going to break the cycle. I know the turmoil you live with, Jax. I feel the pain you wake up with everyday. And now you condemn your sons to the same torture? They will suffer with this." He lowered his head as she began to cry harder. "Can you let me say goodbye to them before you take me?"

He lifted his eyes to meet her even more hurt than before. Taking her hand in his, she tried to fight it, but he held on. " I'm not… going to hurt you. I'm not going to hurt them. I had signed those papers with Lowen, Tara. Before I found out about any of this. You don't have to run. Not anymore."

"What am i supposed to do?" she asked dumbfounded.

"Just be a good mother. Save our boys. Please." She nodded at him speechlessly as an eased look came across his face.

XXX

They had called Patterson to meet at Tara's motel room. When the DA arrived with Roosevelt and another man, she was shocked to find Jax there with her.

"We need to speak with you." She turned to face Roosevelt and the other man. "Alone, please."

Patterson stared at Jax for a moment before turning to the men, "Uh.. give us a minute." She shut the door as they stepped out and turned to face the two. "What is this?"

"This is me owning my place." Jax began. "Now lets talk about our deal."

XXX

Mina left as soon as Rachel came back. She knew how hard this was going to be for Jax and needed to get there as soon as she could. She had spent the better part of the hour nervously cleaning and talking to Tig to calm her nerves. She couldn't figure out why she was so anxious. Maybe it was because she wanted Jax to do the right thing. Or maybe it was because in the back of her mind she knew the love he had for her. Having the two of them alone, taking things out, didn't seem so comforting in hindsight. She'd really put her trust in Jax. He'd become her best friend very quickly and she'd fallen deeper than even planned.

She followed Tig to a motel parking lot. Stepping out of the car, she saw Tig just as confused when they spotted a black SUV and a cop car driving away. They walked over to Chibs who was outside on his bike. They noticed his expression change to seriousness when Mina approached.

"What's going on, brother?" Tig asked, looking a little worried.

Mina noticed the look Chibs shot the crazy haired man and raised an eyebrow as the scotsman threw an arm around her shoulder, leading her back towards the car. "What?" She asked, noticing a softened look of pity from the man as they walked.

"Look, lass, it's best you get back to the shop." He spoke lowly.

Mina froze in her tracks, watching as Chibs avoided eye contact. "Where's Jax?" she asked with a lump in her throat. Her eyes shot from him to the door his bike was parked in front of.

"He has… uh.. he's.." Chibs hesitated, finally meeting her eyes.

She felt her stomach drop as the pity came through in his eyes. Looking down so she could wipe the tears forming in her eyes she shook her head. This is exactly what she thought would happen. And worse. She'd been the one to push him back to her. She handled it like she knew best, getting rid of all feeling and replacing it with anger. Walking away from Chibs, she got in her car and stepped on the gas, flying out of the lot.

Chibs sighed as he walked back to Tig who'd witnessed the whole thing. "There goes a good one." Tig mumbled as Chibs nodded in agreement.

XXX

Jax and Patterson had gone over there deal and how it would work with Tara. After some back and forth they'd come to agree that Galen would be prosecuted as soon as he recovered and the charges against Tara would be dropped. Once, Patterson was gone, Jax turned to Tara who was sitting on the bed smiling gratefully at him.

"Thank you." She stood up as he went to move closer to her.

"I love you Tara. And I love my boys. You're free to take them anywhere you want. To keep them safe." He spoke looking down at her with his hands in his pockets.

She placed her hands on his chest, looking up into his eyes. "I love you, too."

He looked down into her eyes and couldn't help himself. Running his hands up her arms, giving them a gentle squeeze, she'd leaned up closer to him and he leaned in kissing her deeply. As she pressed back against him, he pulled away, seeing Mina's hurt face. He couldn't do this to her. He couldn't hurt her like that.

"What is it, Jax?" Tara looked up concerned.

He shook his head, running his hands through his hair. "I can't do this. Things between us are done. I can't get past what you did. I can't do this to the one person who's been there for me. The only reason the club didn't kill you. I have to go, I'll meet you at the house later today."

Jax walked outside and was caught off guard when he saw Tig but didn't see Mina's car. Walking up to them he noticed them both giving him a disappointed look. "Where's Mina?" He asked Tig.

"She left brother, didn't feel like wasting her time." Chibs answered for him.

The blondes face scrunched in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, brother." Tig spoke up. "You and Tara. You think Mina would put up with that?"

"Nothing happened between Tara and I!" He yelled between the two of them. "Where is she?!"

Chibs shrugged. "We don't know, Jackie. She took off. We need to get to the shop, let everyone know what happened. You need to let her go, brother. She's been through to much already to deal with this."

Jax felt his stomach turn. Mina thought he'd cheated on her. His own brothers thought he'd do that to her. Fuck! He felt his heart speed up as he started to panick. He needed Mina like he needed air. Fuck what the guys had to say, he picked up his phone to call her only to have the call sent straight to voicemail.

XXX

After taking a long drive, Mina returned home. Tear stains down her face, she ignored her phone ringing off the hook as she ran upstairs. She saw a stack of boxes her sister had left for her earlier in the day and rolled her eyes walking into the kitchen pulling out a glass and a bottle of wine. Sitting on the counter to drink away another failure.

How could she have let herself get in this position. She knew who he was. Hell the first time he'd been over he'd told her about how he was cheating on his wife with an escort. She took a large sip and leaned her head back on a cabinet. She needed to leave. Her sister had sold the house anyway. Maybe it'd come at the right time. She took the bottle with her to the living room and stared at the boxes. Fuck Jax. Fuck letting anyone else in.

She grabbed a box and walked over the the kitchen, pulling out items to pack. A few hours later she'd sat down on her couch when she'd noticed her phone light up again with a new voicemail. Putting the phone up to her ear, she heard Jax's distraught voice. He'd been crying and at first she rolled her eyes but then she listened to what he'd been saying. Tara had been attacked at his house and was now at the hospital. He was scared. He pleaded for her to call him back. Said that he needed her. But could she handle going there? It wasn't any of her business. He wasn't her problem he was Tara's. But the need in his voice had a pull on her.


	14. Chapter 14

Jax paced back and forth along the hospital floor. They'd taken Tara a few hours ago and so far no news from the doctors. The club was with him seated silently around the waiting room, his mother showing up with Juice shortly after he'd called them. Everyone was wondering where Mina was. Whenever things were as fucked up as this, she was always by Jax's side. Keeping their president strong. Level-headed.

"Where's Mina?" Juice spoke up saying what was on everyone else's mind. The only two who knew were Tig and Chibs.

Jax's eye shot up to Juice's causing the already nervous man to look at the ground. "I can't get a hold of her." The blonde answered lowly. He was a wreck without her next to him. All he wanted to feel the warmth of her body against his. To take in her scent and feel the rush of calm over him. Since finding Tara unconscious and bloody on his kitchen floor he'd been losing his mind. Things had finally seemed to settle down, she was going to take his boys to a safe place, he was going to be with Mina - then he found Tara half dead on the floor and Mina thought he'd cheated on her.

"Do you think Lin got ahold of her too?" Bobby's gruff voice broke Jax out of his thoughts.

Fuck! He hadn't thought of that. He'd been all over the place with her and now she was a target. He stood up in a panic to go towards the door. "I'm going to find her."

Chibs grabbed his shoulder pulling him away from the door. Standing in front of the blonde man blocking his way. "You've done enough Jackie boy. I'll find her. You need to stay in case anything happens with yer wife"

Jax's eyes grew dark in anger as he shoved his VP's hands off of him. "Take Tig with you. If anything happened to her it's on your heads for opening your mouths. Bring her back here, I need to know she's safe."

Tig looked between the angry men and pulled Chibs away, going out the door. The young president turned to the confused gazes the rest were giving him. Ignoring it all, he took an empty seat by the door, resting his head in his hands. Gemma got up from her seat next to Nero and quickly made her way over, running her hands up and down his back. "Want to tell me what that was about?"

He grunted as he sat up, leaning back in the chair. "She came with Tig to the motel, I guess I was taking a while talking to Tara and they thought we were fuckin'." He shook his head staring at the ground.

"Were you?" Gemma asked.

"No." He looked at her, seeing the disbelief in her eyes. "I couldn't do that to her."

XXX

Mina stared at the ground while her sister blabbed on about how right she was. What did she expect? She took another sip of her glass and stared into the cup. She was so hurt. Betrayed. After all she'd done for him. What a fool she was thinking it would be anything different. What hurt even more was that HE was the one to want this relationship. He was the one who made promises. She was the idiot who fell for it.

"At least we're leaving, honey. You'll never have to be near him again." Adrianna said as soothingly as possible to her silent sister. She hadn't spoken a word since she got home but from the tears and near empty bottle of wine, Adriana knew her sister was hurting. "I'm leaving in the morning to go look for a place. I was thinking Atlanta? You like big cities it'll be a nice change."

Still, Mina said nothing. When she found out Chris had been cheating on her she had burned all of his clothes, threw anything that was his out of the window, but she couldn't bare to go inside her room where Jax had his clothes. She hadn't lost a boyfriend, she'd lost a best friend, and that hurt more than any of this. "I'll go." She finally spoke out. She did need a change. Getting out of Charming would clear her head and Atlanta was big enough to help.

Adrianna left after a little while. Her phone had been ringing nonstop and she knew it was Jax. Every time it lit up all she would see was a photo of the two of them pigging out on her couch. She threw it onto the smaller sofa and curled up on the couch to get some sleep when pounding on her door scared her. She peeked down the stairs when she heard Chibs' and Tig's voices calling for her to open up.

With an eye roll she made her way down the stairs, opening the door to the two of them. "Yes?"

Chibs put his hand on the doorframe as Tig leaned on the other end. "We need you to come with us doll." Tig said, slowly as to not anger her. They'd seen the extent of what she could do with a bat.

Mina crossed her arms over her chest and let out a laugh. "You're fuckin' with me right?"

Chibs shook his head. "'fraid not. Tara was attacked. You might be next."

She scoffed and went to close the door. "I think I'll be fine. The Prince can manage without me."

Chibs put his hand to keep the door open and Tig shook his head. "Don't make this hard Mina. We need you to come. This isn't about Jax, it's about keeping you safe."

She rolled her eyes at the two before walking upstairs to grab her jacket. This was so ridiculous. The fact that she even had to be near that man made her skin crawl, but dying wasn't worth the risk.

XXX

As the room had fallen silent again, Gemma had wrapped an arm around Jax's shoulders, rubbing his back. It wasn't the same. It did nothing for him. The waiting room door open causing everyones eyes to it in hopes of it being a doctor but the sight they saw was even better.

Jax jumped up as quickly as he could running over to the slender brunette, taking her hands in his, "Babe.." he began but she wasn't having it.

"What happened?" She cut him off, looking up into his tired eyes then at the rest of the club with one man she remembered was there when they killed Clay.

He gripped her hands a little tighter, needing to feel her. "I went to my house after Chapel. She was supposed to be there finishing up with the lawyer. I had told her she could go anywhere she wanted with the boys, to keep them safe.." He put one hand over his eyes to keep from showing tears. Mina's heart fell seeing him like this but she kept quiet, distant. "When I got there I called out her name but no one answered. Her car was still outside, thats when I stepped closer to the kitchen and saw her laying on the ground with a pool of blood around her head."

"Jesus Christ." Mina whispered, removing her hands from his and placing them on her head and taking a deep breath.

Jax tried catching her gaze but she refused to meet his eyes, pulling her head away when he tired to lift her chin. Putting his hands in his pockets he sighed. "Mom said she saw two chinese guys driving past the house when she went to clean."

Mina's eyes immediately flew to Gemma's. Something didn't add up. A deep look of regret behind those dark eyes told the woman there was more to it.

"Wha… what did the doctor say?" Was all she was able to get out, her eyes still locked with Gemma.

Jax sighed again, running his hands over his hair. He didn't know what to do with them. She'd never reacted so cold towards him. Whenever they were together, they'd always be close with their hands all over one another. He just needed to explain everything to her. Let her know it wasn't what she thought, but she wasn't having it and he couldn't get his head wrapped around what was going on as it was. "They haven't told us anything. She's been in surgery for hours now." He whispered as he went to have a seat.

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest looking around the room full of tired faces. "I'm going down to the cafe to get everyone some coffee."

"I'm coming.." Jax stood up again but Chibs shook his head.

"Nah brother," The man stood "I'll go. " Jax looked at Mina then at Chibs slightly annoyed. He needed time alone with her, to let her know what had happened. He watched Chibs and Mina proceed down the hallway and leaned his head against the door.

XXX

"Thanks." Chibs said, stirring some sugar in his coffee. "For not makin' a scene."

Mina looked down at the cups they'd already filled. "Yup.."

"He said he didn't do anything lass. He came out looking for you." He continued.

She chuckled under her breath. "Do you believe that?"

Chibs paused for a moment, taking a good look at her. "Jackie cares for you a lot, dearie. That I believe"

Lifting her eyes to finally meet his, she bit the bottom of her lip. "I let it get too far. I know the man he is, hell he was cheating on Tara when I met him."

He shook his head, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I've never seen that boy as straightened up and focused as he is with you. He has direction. A purpose. He wouldn't fuck that up and neither should you."

Lifting the tray with the coffee she lowered her eyes to the ground. Nodding silently they made their way back. He said he didn't do it. Chibs had never lied to her. Hell, Jax had never lied to her. It didn't matter anyway. She didn't need this. The hurt she felt inside was more than she'd ever dealt with and that scared her.

They headed upstairs where everyone continued to sit in silence. Mina had a seat next to Bobby and Tig whole Jax sat with Gemma across from her. She didn't miss the looks from them. A look of sorrow from Jax and one of resentment from Gemma but that wasn't her problem.

XXX

Jax stared at Mina the entire time. She refused to meet his gaze. He'd never experienced anything like this. This feeling of being completely alone in a room full of his family and it was all because of Mina. The attachment he had to her.

He noticed the eye contact between her and his mother. There seemed to be so much anger and hate going on between the two but he couldn't get why. His mother was the one to push him towards her - tell him what a good old lady she would be, and Mina was the one who was on his mother's side when Tara tried to frame her. Now the tension in the room was unbeatable.

Mina's phone ringing broke the silence in the room. He watched her get up to walk out the room. The graceful way her body moved drove him crazy with a need to touch her, but every time he'd try it was like he set her skin on fire. He felt like her asshole ex he'd gotten rid of for this exact reason but it was all a misunderstanding if she'd even let him explain.

He watched his mother walk out after her and he didn't like the vibe she was giving off so he got up to head out there when the door opened again and the doctor came in.

"Mr. Teller?" he asked looking up from his clipboard.

"Yeah." Jax cleared his throat looking at the doctor nervously.

"Mr. Teller, your wife had serious trauma to the head. She's going to need to stay here for at least a week so we can keep a close eye on her while she recovers. You'll be able to see her once she wakes up."

Jax nodded at the doctor relieved that she'd okay. He needed to get her out of here as soon as possible. This only confirmed how much danger she was in. Who knows what could have happened if the boys were with her.

XXX

Mina got a call from Adrianna that her flight was all set for tomorrow morning. When she hung up she turned to see Gemma standing there with her arms crossed. Putting the phone in her pocket she mimicked Gemma's pose, standing up straighter.

"Goin' somewhere?" Gemma stepped closer.

The younger woman locked eyes with her, "Ain't none of your concern."

With a smirk, the older woman stepped even closer, closing the distance between them. "You really thought you were something special to him? Thought he'd leave his high school sweetheart for you? The mother of his kids?"

Mina smirked and looked into those dark eyes "Probably best he didn't otherwise I would've ended up in Tara's place. Ain't that right Gemma?" The quick flash of black in the woman's eyes was enough to confirm everything Mina suspected. It all made so much sense - everything Tara was trying to accomplish. It was to escape from Gemma.

Gemma's smirk quickly turned into a scowl but before she could speak, Jax came over to them. "Everything alright?"

She looked from him to Gemma then back at him. "Yeah. I gotta go. Hope everything's alright with Tara." She turned around and walked down the hallway, desperately needing to not be near him.

"Mina wait!" Jax yelled as he ran behind her.

"What, Jax?" She continued walking, keeping her arms crossed over her chest.

He grabbed her arm making her stop to look at him. Huffing to catch his breath, he looked down at her eyes. "Please, just hear me out. Nothing happened with me and Tara. I didn't sleep with her babe."

After yanking her arm away from him she searched his eyes. She wanted to believe him and deep down she did, but knowing the type of man he was - she didn't know if she had it in her to always wonder. Hell she'd always come second to the love of his life, the mother of his children, this wasn't meant to be.

Noticing her silence Jax shook his head. "Look if this is about the chinese, they're going to pay. I won't let them get to you babe."

Mina wanted to bite her tongue so bad but she couldn't "Open your fucking eyes Jackson. This wasn't the goddamn Chinese. The only person who wanted Tara dead was your mother."

He froze but she saw the anger in his eyes. He couldn't believe his ears. After all the shit his mother had been through with Tara. She'd never do something like that to her. "You think my own mother would attack my wife?" he seethed. "That asshole was right, this isn't about your thinking I cheated. This is about your being afraid of commitment, letting anyone but that psycho sister close to you."

She took a step back from him. A knowing but hurt smirk of her face as she scoffed. "Two days ago she was your ex wife and we had a future." She shook her head looking down for a moment as he realized the mistake in his wording. She looked back up at him. "I don't care what you believe. This isn't about me and you. If you leave those boys or Tara anywhere near your mother while she's getting better, they'll never make it out of here. If that's still even in your plans." She took a deep breath and looked away. "Bye Jax."

He watched her walk away, still taken aback by her words. He couldn't believe that his mother would do it. No, it had to be the Chinese like she'd said. It was the only logical explanation. He stared at her for a moment, replaying their conversation in his head. How could he be so stupid to call Tara his wife when he was with Mina, when he loved being with her. Then it hit him that she had said bye. She never said bye. It was always a 'see you later.' He didn't know why that hurt him as much as it did.

As badly as he wanted to go after her, he knew he had to stay at the hospital for Tara. It really got him thinking about leaving the boys with his mother though. He knew how overprotective she could be and having her near them when Tara was recovering, it would only make matters worse. Once he went back to the room, he had Ratboy go follow her. He wasn't going to risk anything happening to her regardless of if she wanted to be with him or not. They'd talk again after she had time to cool off.

XXX

After spending the night at the hospital, the doctors told Jax to go home. They'd call him as soon as she was awake. As hesitant as he was, he agreed as he was desperately in need of a shower. He'd called Mina a few times but she'd ignored his calls. He went home to see the boys still asleep with Brooke passed out on the couch. He smiled and threw a blanket over her before heading to the bathroom.

Before he could even take off his shirt, his phone rang and he saw it was Rat. "Yeah?" He answered, looking at himself in the mirror noticing the bags under his eyes.

"Jax, Mina's at the airport man. I followed her here." Rat spoke through the phone.

He threw his shirt on immediately. "What do you mean she's at the airport?! Where's she going?!"

"I don't know brother. She had luggage with her and everything."

"Shit! Find out what gate she's at. I'll be right there." He hurried out the door after hanging up the phone, getting onto his bike and heading for the airport.

Everything was running through his mind. He couldn't lose two best friends in a matter of months. Mina had become like air to him. He needed her to survive. Had he gone to far last night? Fuck that was probably it. She already had trust issues, throwing them in her face wasn't the best thing to do.

He got to the airport as fast as he could, running to the gate Ratboy had told him to only to be stopped by security. He could see Mina past the sensors about to board. He tried screaming her name but it was no use, she was already gone. Throwing his hands over his head, Jax felt his eyes sting with unshed tears. He'd lost her. Fucked everything up and now she was gone.


	15. Chapter 15

I'm soon sorry I was late on this. I lost motivation for a little while and I didn't know how long I wanted to keep them apart or bring them back together. I hated the way I left them too and I've gotten so attached to these characters that it took me a few days just to start writing again.

Let me know what you think! :)

As always: I only own my OC.

* * *

><p>It was a dark and cloudy. Much like everyday had been since Mina had left. It had been days without sleep. Without a full meal. Without real contact from the outside world. Without Mina.<p>

How could he have let her think he would ever do anything to hurt her? How could he have been so stupid as to not show her how much she really meant to him? He'd been so fucking selfish.

Tara had woken up but she hadn't been any help. She couldn't remember anything but she was even more closed off than before. All she wanted to do was get out of the hospital so she could take the boys and head out of town. As much as he couldn't believe that his mother had hurt Tara it was safer for the boys to have stayed with Brooke at his house. In the back of his mind he knew it would be impossible for Tara to leave with them if they were at his moms.

XXX

Every night since she'd been gone, Jax had sat outside her place hoping that she'd come home but she still hadn't. He stared out at the moist grass as he took another swig of his Jack to numb the pain. He had never felt a pain like this. He thought it was bad when Tara wanted to leave all those years ago but that was nothing compared to this. He wanted Mina. The woman who'd so quickly came and brought life into his life. Clarified his goals - his aspirations for his club and his family.

How could he have let her think he would ever do anything to hurt her? How could he have been so stupid as to not show her how much she really meant to him? He'd been so fucking selfish! He quickly took another long pull from the bottle, closing his eyes tightly at the burn as it slid down his throat.

The glare of headlights coming his way caught his attention. Covering his eyes with his hand he squinted to see a car pulling into the driveway but sighed once he realized it wasn't Mina's charger. He took another pull of his bottle as Adrianna came up the steps.

"For Christ's sake Teller, what are you doing here?" She placed her hands on her hips, quickly reminding him of Gemma.

"I need her to hear me out." He slurred, lowering his eyes back to the ground. "I need to make it all alright. I need her, Adrianna. Where is she?"

Adrianna watched him intently. She'd never seen a man so broken down and as much as she hated the thought of her sister being involved with him, seeing this man , who was usually so regal and strong, crumbling right in front of her, broke her down. She took a seat next to him placing a hand on his back. "Have you been here all night?"

He threw his bottle on the hard ground, causing it to shatter, making Adrianna jump slightly. "Where is she?!"

With a sigh, the woman looked down, hesitant for a moment before answering him. "She's in Atlanta, Jackson. She's finding us a new place to stay."

Jax closed his eyes tightly. She couldn't be leaving. She couldn't move away from him. Not now. Not when everything was going to fall into place. He was going to fucking kill all of Lin's men for this. He felt the sting of his eyes watering and quickly laid his head onto his hands.

"I need her." he whispered under his breath and Adrianna's heart sank further into her chest. This was the way Mina had been before leaving. She'd been up all night consoling her younger sister who'd cried herself to sleep for only a few hours before boarding a plane to leave. Maybe she had been wrong about them. This wasn't some silly fling that Mina tended to fall into. These two were soulmates. She'd be kidding herself if she said she hadn't felt the chemistry between them when they were in the same room.

With a sigh, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You look awful, Jax. When was the last time you got some sleep? A decent meal?" He shook his head, staring down at the ground. So she stood, grabbing his hands to lift him up. "Come on. Let's go inside, get you cleaned up, you smell worse than a truck stop bar."

"Why? Why do you even give a fuck?" He pulled his arms from her, almost stumbling back.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her long hair. "Because you obviously care about her. And I know her stubborn ass care about you too. And if you're going to solve anything, it won't be while you're drunk off your ass."

XXX

After being out all day, Mina finally got a chance to stop at a local dinner for a cup of coffee before heading back to her cousin's house. It seemed that's all she was running on these days. Coffee and liquor. Food and sleep didn't have much appeal. Matter of fact, nothing did. It seemed as those the days were going by in a daze. The places she'd been looking at all looked the same. The people she'd pass by were all faceless. The only face she'd see was Jax's those few times a night when she'd close her eyes.

She hated the way she'd left things off with him, but it had to happen. They were getting too serious, too fast. If it was anything she'd learned from all the men in her mothers life, it was to stay far away. She knew she had commitment issues, but she had good reasons for it. So what if he said he hadn't been fucking Tara in that motel room. That doesn't change the fact that he was a cheater. Hell he'd cheated on every woman he'd been with. Including Tara which he'd praised for so many years. Why would she be any different? Well she wasn't going to let herself be put in that position. She knew better.

She couldn't handle the pain of actually being cheated on by him. It would destroy her. The passion. The love. The electricity she felt between them. It was so strong. It scared the living shit out of her and that was the one thing she hated being. Scared.

Staring blankly at the steam rising from her cup she felt her phone vibrating from her pocket and pulled it out to answer. "Yeah, Ad?"

"Hey, honey, hows it going out there?"

"It's fine. Haven't really found one I love yet. Cassie hasn't been any help." She stirred her cup mindlessly as she stared out the window at a couple walking by laughing together.

"That's alright. How are you doing though?" Addy spoke again, hearing her distracted voice over the phone.

"I'm fine, Addy." She ran her fingertips through her hair, averting her eyes from the couple, looking down at her cup before taking a sip.

"Listen, Mina…" Adrianna took a moment before continuing, knowing her sister wouldn't be happy with her meddling. "Jax is here."

Mina froze hearing his name. She couldn't seem to make sense of what her sister had just said. Her sister hated Jaxm why he'd be over there with her now didn't register in her mind. "Why..?"

Addy sighed over the phone. "He was drinking on our front steps when I got home. He's been here everyday since you left Mina. I think you should talk to him."

She closed her eyes tightly, that being the absolute last thing she needed to hear. Of all the times she needed her sister to be on her side, this was one of those times. "No. I can't. Nothing good can come from that. I gotta go."

"Mina, stop." The older woman interrupted. "This man loves you Mina. I see it in his eyes, how much he cares for you, how sorry he is. I might end up alone because I'm a 'frigid bitch' but I can't have you end up like me. I know how much you feel for him. You need to come back and talk this through. You can't run forever, honey."

Mina took a deep breath, running a hand over her face. "Then what Adrianna? Then what? We forget everything that he is? That I am? That we live happily ever after?"

Adrianna shook her head listening to the words defensively spewing out of Mina's mouth. "Listen baby. There is no happily ever after. There is no smooth sailing. But I can say I've never seen a love like you and his and that takes you a long way. He's crumbling without you here. I had to bring him in, force him to eat, and get some sleep. Not being near you is destroying him. And I've talking to Cassie, sweetie, I know the same is happening with you. She's told me about your nights spent with a drink in your hand, no meals, no sleep. Now come on. Come home, make this right. I was wrong for trying to pull you away to begin with."

"Don't do this Adrianna. You know I can't. I'll talk to you later." She hung up quickly before her sister could continue.

Placing the phone on the table, Mina rested her head in her hands. This was the one time she needed Adrianna to push her away. She needed the backup to stay strong and away from Jax. But of course, she couldn't count on her for that. Picturing Jax in a drunken mess on the floor broke her heart. Knowing she was the reason, only made the aching worse.

XXX

Jax woke up to a pounding headache. Out of habit he reached over to grab his drink but upon not feeling it he painfully opened his eyes. Once adjusting to the light, he rolled over to see a glass of water and tylonal on the nightstand, then it hit him that he was in Mina's sister's house. Quickly checking the other side of the bed he let out a sigh of relief that he hadn't done anything stupid. Not that he thought he had, but he had a tendency to do stupid shit when he drank.

After getting up slowly, he made his way to the main room, seeing Adrianna drinking coffee on the kitchen table. He cleared his throat to catch her attention before running his hands through his blonde hair. "Thanks.." he let out gruffly.

"How'd you sleep?" Adrianna turned her attention towards him, stirring the sugar in her tea.

Jax shrugged, taking a seat on the kitchen table across from her. "Fine. Haven't had much sleep in a while."

She nodded as she took a sip, letting a moment of silence pass between them. "Jax.." She started slowly. "What were you doing here?"

He sighed, placing his hands on the table as he spun his rings around on his finger, "I was hoping to run into her…"

"She's not here Jackson. Hasn't been for a few days." She replied coldly, trying her hardest not to feel bad for the battered man sitting across from her.

"I know that…" He mumbled under his breath before taking in a deep one. "Where is she?"

"You know I can't tell you that." She shook her head, softening her eyes as they met his.

"Listen, Adrianna. I know we haven't gotten off to the best start, and I completely understand why you wouldn't want her to be with me, but she's the best thing that has ever happened to me. She's changed me in so many ways. Better ways. I can't live without her in my life. I'm in love with Mina and I know she's in love with me too." He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before looking back at her. "She thinks I slept with Tara but I wouldn't do that to her. "

Leaning back in her seat, she watched him closely, seeing the sincerity in his eyes, his words, she had to tell him where she was. Leaning forward on her arms, she took his hand in hers. "Look Jax, I know how she can be. I've seen her through every relationship she's ever been in. I can say I've never seen her glow the way she does since you've been around." Taking a deep breath, her face turned serious once more. "I don't want to regret this Jax, but this is on you to make right."

He looked down at his rings, part of him smiling hearing how in love Mina was with him. "Where is she?" He asked once more.

"She's in Atlanta. Staying with our cousin Cassie."

He stood up quickly, pushing the seat out from under him. "Thank you." He nodded at her.

Adrianna walked over to the counter, grabbing the information he needed and handed it over to him. "Don't fuck this up."

XXX

Mina walked around the empty apartment aimlessly. The building landlord continued speaking about the place but it all sounded like mumbles to her. After a while, the room was silent. The man realizing she was paying no mind, walked out the room to give her some privacy. Her cousin's phone had rang so she stepped outside leaving Mina alone in her thoughts. All these places were the same. The old creepy landlords. The hollow rooms. The bland colors. Sure this was her childhood, but this wasn't Charming. There was no Jax.

Cassie entered shortly after, running her hand down her cousin's arm, snapping her from her thoughts. "We should go sweetheart. It's getting late." Mina nodded in agreement, crossing her arms over her chest as Cassie lead them outside. Seeing her baby cousin in such a way broke her heart just as much as it did Adrianna's.

After a long, silent car ride, they pulled into the driveway. Cassie got out rather quickly and rushed inside. Mina paid no mind, slowly getting out of the seat, she grabbed her purse from the back and made her way to the stairs. The smell of cigarette smoke caught her attention, making her look up from the ground, only to see a flicker of blonde hair shining through the light coming from the porch. The familiar figure stepped closer as the scent of musk and leather surround eyes filled with tears, dropping her bag to the ground. Jax was here. He'd come all the way here. For her.


	16. Chapter 16

Jax was here. Jax. Was. Here. Why in the hell was he here? Adrianna. Of course she'd have something to do with it. She was vouching for him yesterday and now he's here in front of her. Right here in front of her. God he was so close. That perfect smile of his melting into her. But he seemed off. Nervous in a way that was very unlike him. He wasn't a man that had to go after many women. Hell, since the time she's been around hundreds have been at his beck and call, but yet here he was. Thousands of miles away from home to find her.

As she felt the rough calloused hand on her cheek, she closed her eyes as a small gasp escaped her lips in realization that this was not a dream, this was reality. Opening her eyes slowly, she met his piercing blues again, placing a hand over his on her cheek, she was speechless - but so was he. She felt his breath grow closer as he leaned in and before she knew it, his lips were on hers.

God had she missed those lips, but she couldn't do this. Couldn't fall back into this. "Jax.." She pulled away but his hands immediately jumped to her waist, stopping her from pulling away.

"Babe, don't do this." He whispered, his head leaning against hers, their noses grazing against each other.

"I can't do this, Jax. We're moving to Atlanta, your life - your club - that's all in Charming." She pushed him back lightly crossing her arms over her chest.

"What about you living with me huh? Us finding a place of our own.." He protested.

She took a few steps back, turning away. "That's not going to work. You have a wife."

"Jesus Christ." He shook his head, throwing his hands in the air before running his fingers through his hair. "You're not serious, Mina. You know everything's filed for the divorce. Everything."

"It'll never be over! She's the mother of your sons!"

"Stop! Just stop with the bullshit excuses. I love you Mina! I'm here for you, but this needs to stop. Why are you running?!" He couldn't help but raise his voice. He was tired of this shit. He knew she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

"I'm not running.." She mumbled, slightly startled but the harshness of his voice.

He noticed her small figure, fidgeting nervously and stepped closer to her, placing a hand on her cheek. "I need you to stop running." He whispered as his eyes searched through hers. "I love you. You, Mina Noelle Viera. I love you. I need you. Christ, you don't even know how much I need you with me. In my life. These last few days have been hell. I've never felt a pain like I did when I saw you board that plane and that's not something I ever want to feel again."

She sighed softly feeling his hand trembling against her cheek. She could see the sadness in his eyes as he pleaded with her. Biting her lip softly, she was at a loss for words once again. "What.. what about Addy? She's moving out here. I can't just leave her alone." She tried, more to convince herself than him.

He shook his head again, not letting her avoid eye contact. "Then I'll move out here too. Whatever it takes."

"You can't do that Jax, what about the club? You belong in Charming." She protested, shaking her head as she put some distance between them so she could hold herself together.

"I don't care about any of that. I need to be with you, babe. Wherever that takes me. Don't you get that?" He stepped closer again taking her hands in his. "The club, it's all I've ever known. The only sense of family I've ever had. I don't know who I'd be with them. But then I met you. I've never felt a love this strong, Mina, a connection this deep with anyone. I spent years chasing Tara and as much as i'll always love her, it can't compare to this. The club can't compare to this. I'm nothing without you. You're all I need."

Mina couldn't help but let a smile peek through as tears crowded her eyes. "You mean all of that, Teller?"

He smiled as he brushed a tear off of her cheek "Every word, Veira."

She slid her hands up his arms, wrapping them around his neck as she dug her face into his chest. "I love you." She whispered feeling his shirt start to dampen from her tears.

Relieved, he laid his head over hers, wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders, taking in the sweet scent of her hair. "I love you."

XXX

The steam filled the room as hot water trickled down his body. Running his fingers through his hair, Jax let out a sigh of relief. He'd contemplated all of the ways tonight could have gone. Spent 6 hours on a flight, just thinking of all the ways this could have happened. It was a nerve wracking feeling not knowing. The worst anxiety he'd ever experienced, but now he had his girl back. The woman of his dreams. Truth be told he would move for her. Anywhere her heart desired. He couldn't imagine being apart from her again.

After stepping out of the shower, he dried off before wrapping a towel around his waist and heading back to the room to find her pacing back and forth in thought. Shutting the door behind him, he caught her attention, "What's going on, babe?"

Mina looked over at him with a soft smile but sharp focused eyes. She grabbed his hands and led him to the bed, sitting him down on it before sitting next to it. Taking a moment to admire the godlike body this man had, she looked back at him. "I can't let you leave Charming, babe. I know what the club means to you. Your family. Your Sons. Being out here will be too far from you to ever see them."

A deep look of concern crossed his face as he began to protest, "Mina…" but she jumped in again, placing her soft small fingertips onto his lips.

"Let me finish." She let a smile sweep across her face. "I can't be away from you either. If that means staying in Charming then so be it. We can get a place - start a real relationship. I've never had anything like this either and it scares the living shit out of me, but I want to be with you and I'm willing to try my hardest to make it work."

He could feel his heart beat quicken as he listened. A smile growing as he watched her lips move to form the words he'd been dying to hear from the moment she left and here they were. He didn't hesitate to cup her face with his hands and kiss her deeply, letting her feel all the emotions he'd been trying to keep at bay.

Her small hands resting over his on her cheek as she kissed him back, her mouth opening slightly to let out a small moan. He laid her back as his body moved over hers. Her hands ran down his body, pushing off his towel as he quickly made work of her clothes. Spreading her legs quickly, he entered, unable to contain himself any longer.

Jax looked down at her beautiful face as her eyes closed tightly, a moan escaping from her beautiful lips as her body adjusted to him. When they opened, she looked up at him with such need that he almost finished just looking at her. Leaning in to kiss her again, her body moved against his, meeting each of his thrusts. The warmth of her drove him insane as he lifted her legs over his shoulders, seeping deeper into the wetness.

Mina moaned as she arched into him, her breath catching in her throat with his deep thrusts. One hand digging her nails into his back, one hand gripping the sheets tightly. With one lift from her hips, she hit her peak, closing her eyes tightly letting the euphoria take over. Her lips parted slightly as a deep moan escaped.

Feeling her tighten around his dick, Jax sped up, thrusting harder a few more times before he came. Resting his body against hers, his forehead on hers, as he held himself up on his elbows, looking down at her mesmerizing face as she came down from her high. Both breathing heavily as they tried to catch their breaths.

A smile on her face as she opened her eyes to look up at him admiring her. "You're something else, babe."

He smiled, brushing a hair out of her face as he looked down at her. "As long as it's something you like, darlin'."

XXX

Morning light shining into his eyes, woke Jax up. He looked over to see Mina sleeping soundly next to him. Leaning over, he kissed the back of her bare shoulder. This was one of the few times he woke up before her and he took the time to enjoy it. It was the only time she was still enough that he could admire her beauty. Every curve, every tattoo, beauty marks, and scars. He loved all of them. Laying his head on his arm as he laid on his side facing her, his fingertips tracing the outline of the feathers on her dreamcatcher tattoo on her back. The soft sounds she made in her sleep soothed him. He would trade everything to be able to freeze this moment in time. No club, no beef, no Gemma. Just him and her. But once they got back to Charming it was back to the real world. He was going to get revenge for Tara. He knew this truce with Lin was bullshit. They'd attacked the mother of his boys. What of they had been there? The thought alone made his see red.

Mina started to stir after a little while, rubbing her eyes she smiled softly feeling hands running down her back. Turning slowly, she laid her eyes on Jax. Although he was there with her, by the look in his eyes, he was miles away.

"Hey you," she spoke softly, her sleepy voice coming out raspier than she would've liked.

His eyes flew to hers, a smile played on his lips at the sound of her voice. He leaned in giving her a kiss as his hand caressed her cheek. "Good morning."

Clearing her throat she smiled as she returned the kiss. "Where's your head at babe?"

The smile went away as quickly as it came, he knew better than to hide anything from her. "Just wish it could be like this forever, you know?" He shrugged his shoulders seeing her give a confused look. "Just me and you. Just like this." He ran his large hand down the curve of her body, resting it on her hip. He gave the sheet a slight squeeze as he felt the warmth of her bare skin underneath.

"What's stopping that?" She shrugged, resting her head on her arm as she held herself up on her elbow.

"Real life." He sighed.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. She'd forgotten all about the brewing storm in Charming. "So what happens when we get back?" she spoke quietly, unsure of whether or not she wanted to know.

Jax's eyes met hers with a sharp dangerous glare as he thought of the things he wanted to do to Lin and the men who'd hurt Tara. "The Chinese are going to pay. Starting with the men who did it."

Mina sighed as she laid on her back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Jax.."

"No." He interrupted bluntly, before softening his voice again. "Look, I know you think it was Gemma, but she would never hurt the boys' mother. She'd never hurt my family like that. The bastards that did this to Tara wanted her dead to send the club a message. You didn't see what the scene looked like. This wasn't something my mother was capable of."

As much as she wanted to believe that, the threat in Gemma's tone the last time they spoke was enough to confirm it for Mina, but she could never put Jax against his mother. Not without proof. She shifted her eyes away to hide the doubt. "So how's Tara doing? Where are the boys?"

"She's good. She'll be out in a few days. She's moving to Oregon with the boys." He sat up grabbing a cigarette from the pocket of his jeans on the floor and lighting it. "The boys have been with Brooke at my house. I've had one of the guys with them at all times."

She raised an eyebrow as she took the cigarette from his lips, taking a puff before blowing out the smoke. "Why aren't they with Gemma?"

Leaning back against the headboard, Jax shrugged, taking the cigarette again. "Because I know how much harder it'll be to get Tara and the boys away if she had them."

"Yeah." She said dryily, stepping off the bed and grabbing a towel to wrap around her. "So.. are we flying back today?"

He smiled as he bit the corner of his lips, getting up off the bed. "Yeah, if you want."

With a nod, she looked him up and down, admiring his fine naked figure. "Shower first." She winked as she threw him a towel.

XXX

The 6 hours flight was spent wrapped up in each other, sharing stories, favorites, like a blissful new couple, but upon landing - it was back to reality. As close as he was with the guys, this was not a side of him anyone saw. Once the plane hit the ground, the tension reappeared inside of Jax. Mina sensed it all, from the way his body straightening up, to the way his breathing became quicker. It was back to business now. The president was more focused than ever.

Outside the club was waiting for them. Everyone was relieved to see Jax was back to normal. Focused. Chibs had been in charge the few days he was MIA but now that he was back, it was time to get things happening.

"There's our girl!" Chibs shouted as the couple approached them.

Mina laughed as a little blush swept across her cheek. "There's my boys!" She smiled, opening her arms as she approached the men, giving them a hug. Doing a mental count she noticed one was missing. Juice. Everyone else was there? Maybe he was on duty at Jax's.

While the men greeted the president a prospect took her bags, to put into the van. Mina let Jax climb onto his bike before throwing a leg over to climb on behind him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist as he took off. The breeze of the open road hit her face, her hair blowing back in the wind. It was time for to her set some roots. This would be the place for it. Right next to her man. Maybe this could work after all.


	17. Chapter 17

"Knock knock" Mina said, opening the heavy hospital room door. A weary looking Tara slowly adjusted herself to sit up with a look of confusion as the younger woman approached the bed, setting flowers down on the table next to her. "These are for you." She smiled softly as she sat on the seat.

"Why are you here?" Tara replied coldly.

Mina shrugged slightly, really unsure for herself why she was here, but the issue with Gemma was gnawing at her. "I.. I just wanted to see how you were. Heard you were getting out of here soon."

Tara looked her up and down, not buying the act. "Really? That's why you're here?"

The young brunette looked down, playing with a loose string from the rip on her jeans. She guessed she deserved that. It wasn't like the two were best friends for her to be here. " Look, I'm sorry. I never meant for things to go this way with Jax. But I swear to you I never did anything with him while you two were together."

"I don't care anymore." Tara shook her head as she leaned back on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling. "I just want to get my boys out."

"Tara, who did this to you. Was it the Chinese?" Mina pushed on.

The doctor's eyes stared into to Mina's, her eyebrows furrowed, as her look became questioning. "Jax said it was. I didn't see anything. I heard noises then everything went black."

"Damnit." Mina mumbled, "Why would the Chinese go after you?"

Tara slouched her shoulders as she looked down in anger. "Who knows what the clubs involved with now."

Giving an understanding nod, Mina looked out the window. "Yeah I guess." She stood up and gave Tara a soft smile. "I'm sorry if I bothered you.. hope you feel better."

As she went to head out, Tara spoke up again. "You know, thinking back to how much wrong the club does, I realized how big of an idiot I was for jumping back in."

Mina turned her head, confused as to why she was telling her this. "I guess you were blinded by love."

With a scoff, Tara shook her head. "I used to say that we are better human beings when we're with the person we're supposed to be with. But I was wrong. It's made me vengeful, bitter."

Taking a deep breath in, Mina looked at the woman, deep in through, on the bed. "You adapted.." She said, unsure of what else she really could say.

"This club.. the man you're so quick to defend, that evil woman, he calls his mother. They ruined my life. I've been kidnapped. I've been arrested. I've had my career destroyed. All in the name of SAMCRO. Can you really tell me you want to be part of that?"

Mina's eyes stayed on Tara's as the woman's eyes filled with angry tears. "Tara.." She stepped closer. "I want to help you get those boys out of Charming."

"Why? Why would you want to do that?" Tara asked, untrusting of the new woman in Jax's life.

"Because I don't trust Gemma and what she's capable of." Mina answered sharply. "I'll do everything I can to make sure you get out safely.

A hesitant but hopeful look flashed across Tara's face. "Thank you."

XXX

The familiar scent filled his nose as he started to stir from his sleep. Opening his eyes slowly he smiled after seeing his was at Mina's house. In Mina's bed. When he looked over at her side though, she was of course gone. "Jesus Christ" he mumbled, grabbing his phone to check the time to see that it was only 8am. If it was one thing he would change about her, it was how early she was up and about. He wasn't a late sleeper by any means but she was always up before dawn.

He got up off the bed and jumped into the shower. Today things needed to get moving. He'd talk to the club, catch up on what was going on. The Chinese would have no idea what was coming. As he lathered up, he was almost hesitant to wash Mina's scent off of him. Being surrounded by it soothed him, calmed him. But right now - calm wasn't what he needed. He needed revenge. It was bad enough they messed with the Sons. But when you go after the president's wife, it's a wrap. Shit, he needed to stop calling Tara his wife. Of course he'll always love her, but he doubted he'd get another chance from Mina if he slipped that up again.

Just as Jax arrived at Scoops, so did Mina. He smiled as he watched her step out of her car, her grateful movements never went unnoticed by him. Her eyes lit up as she walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her soft full lips against his. "Did you just get here?" She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist,

"Yeah, waiting for the rest of the guys." He leaned in giving her another kiss, unable to get enough.

She giggled lightly as his beard tickled her face, pulling away slightly to look up at him. "Where are they?"

"Club business with the Bastards." He nodded at the group of bikes approaching. "Looks like they're back" he put his hand on the small of her back as the guys parked and walked over.

"Jackie boy!" Chibs approached giving him a hug, "Good to have you back too lass" He smiled as he rubbed Mina's hair before giving her a hug.

Mina laughed as the others greeted her as well but Jax was serious. She placed a hand on his back and his face softened momentarily. As he spoke to the guys they noticed an all too familiar figure speaking with Gemma a few feet away from them. His face scrunched up in annoyance and anger as Chibs let out an agitate sigh.

"Who's that?" Mina asked noticing the anger flickering in Jax's eyes.

"Wendy. Abel's mother." Bobby answered.

"Want me to take care of this?" Chibs asked pointing towards Wendy.

Jax shook his head, "Chibs, it's okay. I got it. I'll meet you upstairs." Chibs nodded his head at the others as they backed off to walk inside. Happy nudged his head for Mina to follow but she shook her head, crossing her arms to watch them.

"What are you doing here?" He said as they walked towards each other.

"I just want to talk to you." Wendy spoke quietly, looking down at the ground before looking up at him.

"Thought you were in rehab."

"I checked out …" she started but was interrupted by Gemma.

"I called her." Gemma stepped forward, crossing her arms over her chest. "Thought she could help me me out with the boys."

"Woah, woah. What?" Jax narrowed his eyes putting his hands out in front of him to stop them. "Mom, you are not taking care of those boys, they are fine where they are until Tara gets out."

Mina heard his voice getting louder and stepped forward, putting a hand on his back. "Everything alright?"

Wendy looked confused seeing the interaction between Jax and Mina while Gemma narrowed her eyes, shooting daggers at the young woman but ignored her, trying to reason with Jax. "You know Brooke is only a child. She can't take care of those boys for long. They belong home with me. Their grandmother."

Mina laughed under her breath as she listened to Gemma, she could see Jax trying to hold his ground but he was never good at denying his mother. "Actually. The boys are going to stay with me until Tara gets back on her feet. Jax is at my place a majority of the time. Only makes sense the boys would be too."

Jax looked down at her, in shock that she would offer to do this for him but he couldn't be more grateful. He leaned down kissing her head as Gemma scoffed. "What happened to you selling the house?"

Mina looked at the woman and shrugged. "Hasn't been sold yet."

Gemma's eyes narrowed dangerously at Mina but Jax stepped in. "I got to get to chapel. It's not happening mom." He looked between her and Wendy before throwing his arm around Mina's shoulder, walking back towards Scoops. Once they got inside, he turned to look at Mina, taking her small frame in his arms. "Are you sure about this? What about work?"

Mina wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up at him. "Anything's better than Gemma getting them. I have the next two weeks off work. That should be another time for Tara to be released and to get her out of here."

He raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the counter, pulling her against him. "Where were you this morning?" He asked, his fingers playing with the belt loops on her jeans.

She looked up at him, running her fingertips through his blonde hair, "I.. uh." She twirled her fingers in his hair, unsure of how he'd take it. "I went to go see Tara." She spit out.

He raised both eyebrows, looking down at her curiously. "Why?"

"Because. Because I don't trust your mother. I know how important getting the boys out of Charming is to Tara and I want to make sure she and those boys get out safe."

He sighed, giving her hips a squeeze. "Mina, I'm not saying this again. My mother didn't hurt Tara."

The irritated tone of his voice caused her to roll her eyes. "I hear you sweetheart, but she'll take advantage of this situation to get the kids. She will, then it'll be impossible for them to get out."

He nodded in agreement and leaned in, kissing the side of her neck. "I love you so much."

She smiled and kissed his lips softly. "I love you, Teller. Call Brooke, I'll head over to your house to pick them up."

XXX

Mina drove to Jax's house with Quinn and Montez following her. Jax made it perfectly clear she wasn't allowed to go anywhere alone. He wasn't risking anything happening to her. Ratboy and Brooke were already aware that she was coming and started packing. She opened the door and walked inside. Abel was sitting quietly on the floor coloring while Thomas was in his playpen napping. While Quinn and Montez walked over to Rat, Brooke came over giving Mina a hug.

Brooke nudged her head over to Abel. "He hasn't spoken much since Tara was.." She trailed off not wanting to speak of the incident.

Mina nodded, walking over to Abel and sitting down on the floor next to him. "Hey darlin'." She softly spoke, giving his head a soft kiss.

"Hey Mina." He replied slowly, not looking away from his picture.

She smiled sadly, running her fingers through his hair. "How are you feeling buddy?"

He shrugged his shoulders still not looking up. "Fine"

"You and Thomas are going to stay at my house for a little while honey." She leaned her arm on the table, resting her head on her hand.

"Why?"

Mina smiled softly. "Just until your mommy gets better honey. I don't have work for a little while and I'd sure love for you two to keep me company."

He nodded his small head looking down sadly. "I miss mommy."

She nodded in understanding and took a deep breath. "How about after we pack I take you to go see her?"

He finally lifted his head in excitement. "Yeah!"

She smiled and hugged him back as he threw himself into her arms. "Great, now let's help Brooke pack all your favorite toys."

After they packed the boys things, Mina fastened Thomas' car seat while Abel jumped into his, buckling himself up. She and Brooke took off with the guys following.

She felt the need to prove to Tara that she was there to help, though she didn't know why she cared. She guessed it was because she cared so much about Jax and those important to him. But in a way she had seen the darkness in Gemma's eyes. Heard what she was capable of. And although she'd never hurt Jax's kids, she'd be more than willing to hurt anyone who'd want to take them away. She shuddered at the thought. As much as Tara and her had their differences, she couldn't imagine a caring loving mother being ripped away from these kids.

They walked inside the room, Abel making a mad dash for a teary eyed and surprised Tara. Mina smiled, placing Thomas' car seat onto the chair, pulling the baby out carefully into her arms, bringing him to Tara. She let them talk and catch up while she sat down watching them interact.

Tara looked over at Mina and Brooke who were sitting quietly. After adjusting the boys on her lap, she took a deep breath to pull herself together. "Why..? Thank you, but why?" She looked between the two.

Mina looked at the boys then at Brooke, "Hun, why don't you take the boys to the cafe. Get them something to eat." Brooke nodded, taking Thomas in her arms as she held Abel's hand leaving the room. "The boys are coming to stay at my house until you get out."

"What's wrong with our house?" Tara asked alarmed.

"They were being taken care of by Brooke. Gemma had called in Wendy and was trying to convince Jax to have them live with her. I couldn't let that happen."

"That manipulative bitch." She saw the hate and anger in Tara's eyes as she took a moment to gather herself. "Thank you, Mina. Thank you."

"I told you I wanted to help you Tara, and I meant it."

XXX

Jax pulled into Mina's driveway. Where three bikes and her car were parked. He smiled at the site of the boys' car seats in the back. It was a weight off of his shoulders knowing Mina was behind him. Helping him with all of this. Being the strong to keep him and his family together while he dealt with club business. He walked inside to see the the men sitting around her living room, Brooke doing the dishes, but no Mina.

"Where is she?" He asked as everyone turned their attention to him.

"Puting the boys to sleep." Montez spoke up as the three of them stood.

Jax nodded taking a look around the place before looking back at the men. "You guys head out, Brooke, " He turned his attention to the small woman coming from the kitchen. "Have Rat take you home. I need you guys here at 7, Mina wakes up really early."

"Yeah, okay!" She nodded timidly. He said goodnight to everyone as they exited the place before heading to Mina's spare room.

Opening the door slowly, he saw Mina laying back against the headboard with Abel laying against her side and Thomas on her stomach, while she read to them. He could feel his heart melting at the sight. She'd make such an amazing mother one day. Another sibling to Abel and Thomas. Maybe a baby girl this time around. One that looked just like Mina.

"Hey you," Her soft voice whispering quietly snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Hey" He smiled as he made his way over to her, leaning down kissing her lips softly. "Hope they weren't too much trouble."

Mina kissed him back, helping him take Thomas while she slide out from under Abe. She smiled as she tucked him in, turning off the light while Jax laid Thomas down in the crib the guys brought over. He felt her arms wrap around his waist as she kissed up his back slowly. All the tension from the day leaving him as he turned around cupping her face in his hands as he leaned in kissing her lips needingly.

She returned the kiss, pecking his bottom lip once more while she held onto his hips. "There's pizza, darlin'. Come on." She slide her hands down his arms to his, lacing their fingers together leading him out to the kitchen. "I saved you a box. The guys already wolved down 4. Couldn't leave you without dinner."

Jax laughed as he followed her in, watching her pull a few slices out of the box and onto a place, heating it up for him. "How thoughtful." He smiled. "Hope the boys weren't too much."

"Abel and Thomas? No. Quinn, Rat, and Montez, were a different story." she joked pulling the pizza out of the microwave.

He laughed again, unable to stop himself while she handed him the plate. "Yeah, sorry about them." He followed her into the living room, taking a seat on the couch next to her. While she scrolled through the list of movies on demand he took a bite. Everything felt so comfortable. Like home. The boys asleep, the house all clean, dinner, movies, and her. She was the glue that held all of this together.

He pulled her closer to him, laying her head onto his shoulder. "I love you, you know that?" he kissed her head, whispering into her hair.

Mina smiled, taking in the scent of his neck, the cologne, the leather, everything about Jax. "I love you babe."

He laced their hands, playing with her fingers, his other arm wrapped around her shoulder. He looked down at her face so content, so at ease. After the day he'd had on his first day back to business, this was just what he needed. She was always exactly what he needed. He took a swig of the beer she had grabbed, putting his feet up on the table and watched TV, with his boys asleep, and his girl in his arms.


	18. Chapter 18

Mina woke up Jax's arms, he'd been twisting and turning all night so she knew something was going down tonight. She slowly slid out of the bed, checking the alarm clock to see that it was only 6. Neither of the boys had made a sound throughout the night and she prayed that it was because she'd made them feel comfortable her home. She jumped into the shower, quickly washing up and pulling on a pair of grey distressed skinny jeans and a white v neck. She left her hair down in loose waves with her bangs swept to the side. After spraying on her perfume she put on her makeup and went to the kitchen to make some coffee and call her sister to invite her up. She never knew why they woke up as early as they did but they were always up before the sun.

It didn't take Adrianna long before she came up. Mina had two cups of coffee ready for them. As they sat down, she knew she owed her sister some sort of explanation.

"So you two are good now?" Adrianna asked knowingly.

Mina raised her eyebrows as she took a sip of her coffee. "Yeah. Yeah we are."

"And now that you're Mrs. SAMCRO, I'm guessing you won't be leaving for Georgia with me."

"I'm not . But, no, Addy. I'm not." She sighed putting her drink down.

"And now you're taking care of his sons?"

"Correct."

"What about their mother?" Adrianna took a sip of her coffee.

"You know she was attacked. She's still in the hospital."

"And Gemma?"

Mina looked back towards the doors to make sure they were still closed before leaning closer on the table. "I need you to keep your mouth shut about this but i think it was Gemma who did it: Jax won't believe me but i know it was her. I have the boys so Gemma can't get her hands on them. Its the only way to make sure Tara can get them out."

"Mina, sweetie," Adrianna leaned closer sensing the need for secrecy. "This is some serious shit you're getting involved in. Gemma Teller is not one who plays fair when it comes to her family."

Mina took a deep breath and stared at her coffee for a while before looking up. "And neither do I. And I'll be damned if Gemma Teller does anything to hurt them for her sick twisted idea of 'family'." She pounded her fists on the table causing the table and cups to shake.

Adrianna saw the determination in her eyes and knew better than to argue. Just as she was about to speak up a deep voice caused them to jump. "Everything alright?" He asked after hearing banging on a table.

"Yeah," Mina gathered herself, shooting Adrianna a look that the conversation was over. She stood up walking over to Jax giving him a soft kiss. "Sit down babe, I'll make you a cup of coffee."

Jax put his arms around Mina's shoulders giving her a kiss on the forehead, "Good morning" he smiled before letting go to sit at the table. He glanced over at Adrianna who was looking at him without the usual hate in her eyes when he entered the room. "Long time no see."

Mina brought him over a cup of coffee as Adrianna lifted her cup to him. "Yes it has. Glad to see got her back, Jackson."

The sound of a baby crying filled the house and Mina put her cup down on the counter before walking to his room. She smiled at the infant, picking him up from the crib gently and changing his diaper before bringing him out to the kitchen and making a bottle for him.

Jax watched her carefully, seeing her with a baby in her arms made her so much more attractive to him. "That's a good look for you." Adrianna's eyes burned holes into him but he didn't care.

Mina laughed hearing his voice behind her and turned around to face them, putting the bottle in Thomas's mouth to feed him. "When's Brooke and Rat going to be here?"

Adrianna checked her watch and stood up, walking over to the sink to put her cup in. "I gotta get to work, I'll see you later tonight."

Mina nodded as her sister kissed her cheek then surprisingly kissed Thomas's head. Jax raised his eyebrows just as surprised as Mina but smiled as he took a sip from his cup. "Well who knew babies were the ice queen's weakness." They laughed as she shook her head. "They'll be here by 7. I told them to come early since you're an early riser."

She laughed and shook her head again looking down at Thomas who was drinking happily in her arms. "So what's the plan for today Teller?"

He took a deep breath, looking down at his coffee. He knew she wouldn't like what he was going to say but he knew he'd be in more shit if he didn't. "We're getting RedWoody up and running today. Going to throw a party, invite the Chinese, Bastards, Mayans. Then when that sick son of a bitch who did this to Tara shows up, we bring him back to my house and I take care of him."

Mina stared at him. As much as she wanted to speak against it, she left her face blank of any unapproving emotion. "So what about Lin.. when he finds out you went after his men?"

He shook his head, taking another sip. "I have a whole other plan for Lin. You're coming tonight right?"

She looked down at him, confused. "Where?"

"To the RedWoody party."

She laughed and shook her head. "Oh yeah, wouldn't miss it for the world."

He smiled as he stood up to kiss her forehead. Abel's sleepy voice grabbed their attention. "Mornin' daddy. Mornin' Mina."

"Hey buddy," Jax spoke up, walking over and picking up Abel into his arms. "You hungry?"

"Pamcakes?" He looked up at his father, wrapping an arm around his neck while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Lets go get you pancakes sweetheart. We'll go to the diner." Mina spoke up putting Thomas's bottle in the sink.

"You sure you're up for that?" Jax asked and Mina nodded.

"Then can we go see Mommy again?" Abel asked causing Jax to look down at him confused.

"You took him to go see Tara?" Jax asked, putting table down on a chair.

She nodded again adjusting Thomas on her arm. "Yeah. They were really excited to see her."

"Mina, I don't want them seeing her like that."

She sighed and stepped closer. "Jax, she's their mother. They didn't care what she was wearing or how she looked, they were happy to see her. You should've seen how happy they were just being in the same room as her." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "When are you going to see her?"

He looked up from the ground meeting her eyes. "I can't. Not until she knows the bastards that did this to her are dead."

She shook her head and leaned in kissing his cheek. "The only thing she needs to know is that you're keeping your promise about getting her and them out. None of this other shit means anything to her. Maybe if you listened more than you plot you'd know."

Jax looked over at her, his mouth slightly open from the shock of her bluntness as she left the room, taking Thomas and Abel to get cleaned up and changed.

XXX

Jax was with them at the diner for breakfast. She'd never seen the boys happier than when they were around either Jax or Tara. She couldn't let anyone ruin that. Not having a great home life growing up made her more defensive than ever to give these kids something normal. Something less destructive.

After Jax left so did they, Brooke and Mina took them to the hospital to see Tara. There wasn't much for them to talk about. As sweet as Brooke was, neither woman wanted to say anything about Gemma in front of her. She could easily be broken by Gemma. The visit to Tara was more for the boys, they had fun with their mother. A joy she'd never felt. Abel drew pictures for his mother while Thomas cood in his mothers arms.

She'd never wanted a kid. Didn't think she'd be a great mother. She always thought she'd be that great aunt. Jax on the other hand, seemed to have something else in mind. She shook her head at the thought. Here she was trying to help Tara get the boys out of Charming because this wasn't a place to raise kids yet she couldn't help but think of how cute of a kid they would have together.

XXX

After the day Jax was having he wanted nothing more than to take in Mina's scent, lay down on her couch with her tucked in under him, and have a beer. The thought of what was going down tonight said otherwise. He had to wait. He needed to be focused. His plan would be put in motion today. The people that put the mother of his children in the hospital would feel everything she did. The Chinese would get the message.

He pulled his bike into Mina's driveway. She should've been getting ready by now. He couldn't let her go to that party with anyone but him. He could trust his guys, but his trust ended there. In a place full of outside patches and pornstars, anything could happen. And in the mood he was in he'd kill anyone who went near her.

Making his way inside, Jax took a look around the place. Brooke and Mina were getting ready while Rat was on the couch with the kids. The boy's nanny would be here soon and so would a few prospects to keep an eye out. He couldn't be more grateful for Mina letting the boys stay with them. They were well taken care of throughout the day and he found himself getting home sooner than normal just to want to see them.

He couldn't face them before. Let them see how he'd failed their mother. He felt like he'd let them down. Let his whole family down. Mina made that fear go away. She'd stepped up and taken them to go see Tara regardless of their history together. Sooner or later he'd have to face her too. Jax bent down over the couch giving Abel a kiss on the forehead and then Thomas. They both looked so much happier. She must've kept her promise of taking them to go see Tara again.

When Mina came out of the room, he felt a weight melt right off his body. It was like all the pressure holding him down disappeared. With a smile he walked over to give her a kiss. It amazed him how even as casual as she dressed, she was always so breathtaking.

Mina wrapped her arms around her man's neck, the tension in his shoulders easing up to her touch. Leaning up closer to him she pressed her lips against his then down to his neck. "I missed you." She whispered against his ear. Tonight was her duty to do everything she could to keep him as calm as possible. She knew things would hit the fan regardless but the less angry he was the less destructive he would be.

"I'll need you to show me how much later." He breathed into her neck. The small gasp she let out at his hot breath against her skin drove him crazy. What he wanted to do to her - but tonight was about revenge.

Mina bit the corner of her lip, pulling back slightly as she ran her fingers down to his belt loops, ringing her fingers into them so she could pull him closer. "Only if you're very very good tonight."

Jax licked his lips and leaned down to kiss her again. "Oh I will."

Once the prospects and nanny got there the four of them were on their way. Mina choosing to take her car in case club business took longer and Brooke rode with her. The two men riding their bikes ahead of them. Upon arriving the party was in full swing as expected. Lin and his guys were there as well as the Mayans and Bastards. The more the merrier in this situation. They needed all they could to make this seem as casual as possible.

Mina walked in ahead, after greeting the members she knew she went right to the bar. He didn't miss the eying she got from the random men in attendance. As irritated as it made him, he also got a sense of pride that his girl didn't need to strip down to be appreciated. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Tig, who'd witnessed him eye fucking Mina.

With a laugh, the crazy haired man spoke up. " All these fine women in the house and you always have the best one." Jax laughed looking over at Mina once more this time she was surrounded by people, already making friends.

"She's something else ain't she." Bobby walked over laughing as Lyla and Mina took a shot.

"Yeah, just make sure someone has an eye on her while we take care of business." He looked between his men as they nodded. He called over the Bastards to fill them in. He motioned for Gemma to head over for them to hear it themselves. "Go ahead, Mom. Tell them what you saw that day."

Gemma stood between the men, eying them nervously but had to sound confident. "I...uh.. I drove by Jax's house the night Tara was attacked and I saw a man leaving. I... I got a good look at him. It's the man sitting at the bar." The men turned their heads slightly, looking at the young, well built, asian man and nodded. Now it was time to let the bastards handle this and wait for the call.

XXX

Mina kept her eyes on Jax the whole night. The vibe was sketching her out. She only hoped the rest of the clubs didn't feel the same. The last thing this place needed was someone noticing all the plotting and planning going on. She watched as the group gathered with Gemma in between them. That rotten cunt would be spinning some bullshit lie.

She watched as the old woman made her way over to the bar where Mina was posted the whole night. She wanted Jax to know exactly where to find her in case he needed anything. Gemma eyed Mina up and down before pursing her lips. Visibly she was trying to hold herself together. Her hands fumbling over themselves. Her movements less smooth than usual.

"How's it feel knowing your lie will be the death of an innocent man?" Mina leaned closer, speaking in a hushed tone solely for Gemma's ears.

The woman's head snapped up and the hate in her eyes running deep, looking around at all the people around she quickly composed herself laughing quietly to herself. "Look around sweetheart, there's not one innocent person in this room. That includes you." she put her hands on the counter, leaning closer to Mina.

Mina smirked looking down at the woman's unstable hands then back up to her eyes. "But that man. The one at the bar. That you've never seen before in your life. He's going to be paying for something you did. Now tell me Gemma, how much worse is your punishment going to be."

A whistle caught both their attentions as they looked over to see Jax motioning his mother over. The darkness in his eyes deeper than she'd seen before. The sadness in Mina came up again. Jax was going to burn so many bridges because of this woman and she was powerless.

Without another word Gemma disappeared out the door and Mina shortly after. The prospects were posted on the couches the nanny was sent home. She needed to be alone. She felt as if she was suffocating. Never had she had this kind of anxiety. She felt so helpless seeing Jax damaging everything he was working so hard to create.

She jumped in the shower as soon as she got home. Staring aimlessly as the water ran down the drain and before she knew it she was on her bed in a pair of cotton shorts and one of Jax's beaters, staring aimlessly at the ground. She had to release Gemma's hold on Jax. One way or another it was going to happen.

What felt like hours went by the all too familiar sound of Jax's bike pulling in woke her. After a moment went by there was still no Jax. No sound of the door , no footsteps, nothing. She grabbed her short cotton robe and threw it on making her way carefully down the front steps. When she opened the door she saw Jax sitting on the steps taking deep pulls from a cigarette. Her heart pounded being unable to imagine what he must be going through. In his head he really thought he'd come face to face with Tara's attacker.

Slowly making her way over she sat down next to him. The two of them sitting in silence for a while before he tossed out the cigarette, cupping her face hard and kissing her passionately.

Mina jumped back slightly at how hard he was holding her but nonetheless returned the kiss. Her hands placed over his while he moved against her with need. As their tongues moved together, his hands reached down, sliding up her bare thighs. As much as she wanted to keep going, something was off. The movements were there but Jax wasn't. His breathing was quick, her cheeks felt wet with tears that weren't hers.

Pulling away slowly, she placed her hands ln his cheeks, wiping his tears away. "Hey.." She whispered as his eyes refused to meet hers. "Babe. Hey..." His tear swollen eyes moved up to meet hers. Her heart broke with every teardrop that hit the ground. "It's okay baby. I'm here. I'm right here. Shh."

He buried his face deep in her neck, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck stroking her fingers through his blood stained hair, listening to the quick pace of his heartbeat as he let it all go. All the hate, the anger, the hurt. It was all coming out now.


End file.
